Sky Line
by Negative Angel
Summary: In the heart of Domino City lies The Guild of Heroes. Blue-Eyes is a young hero seeking revenge for the murder of his brother but his allegiance is tested when he meets renowned hero hunter Renaissance and learns his past. Eventual Prideshipping SKxYY. ON HIATUS
1. The Life of a Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its affiliated characters.

I do however, own all of their alter egos, so not stealing!

Okay folks, this is the start of another story and I am releasing the first chapter early, especially for **Blue September**. Thank you for being such a dedicated reviewer of **Tower of Demise** and I hope this story lives up to whatever expectations you have.

Just to warn you, the ages of the characters have changed quite a bit. You'll see what I mean soon enough.

* * *

Summary: In the heart of Domino City there is a secret band of protectors: the Guild of Heroes. Young hero Blue-Eyes is trying to make his mark and hunt down the villain who murdered his brother just months earlier. New arrivals and old foes join forces to bring down the guild but Blue-Eyes is drawn a mystery which will change everything. A meeting with renowned hero-hunter Renaissance and the truth behind the young killer threatens to unsettle Blue-Eyes' allegiance with the Guild of Heroes and the arrival of new enemy Nightwing will throw the whole city into potential turmoil. Can things return to their peaceful ways?

**Sky Line**

**Chapter 1: The Life of a Hero**

Swarm leapt from rooftop to rooftop, evading his pursuer to the best of his ability._ Where did this guy come from? I didn't know of any new recruits in the Guild…Oh shit, he's gaining. _Swarm was forced to stop when he came to the edge of a building and the drop was too great to land safely. His black cape fluttered in the wind as he heard his adversary stop only ten feet away. Swarm spun around and sized up his enemy. His eyes scanned over the white and pale blue uniform and white cape drifting behind him. He was well over 6 feet tall and had a physique which rivalled some of the world's greatest athletes. Short brown hair was being swept by the wind and brushed past his white mask and occasionally concealed the piercing sapphires which were locked on Swarm.

"You are a new one. I've come across many heroes but I've never had the pleasure of meeting you. May I know your name?" taunted Swarm.

The stranger snorted in amusement and smirked before answering. "Blue-Eyes. And I am here to bring you down, Swarm."

Swarm laughed at Blue-Eyes. "Such ignorance. Let's see you face this!" Swarm raised his arms and instantly thousands of insects surrounded him. Blue-Eyes took one step back but otherwise stood his ground. "Feel the power of thousands of insects infecting you with deadly poison! Now go, my beauties!" Swarm watched as his servants thrust forward and closed in on Blue-Eyes.

Blue-Eyes simply smiled as the insects prepared to strike him. "There is one thing about bugs that you clearly forgot: they hate electricity." Blue-Eyes summoned a stream of electricity between his hands and released it straight into the swarm. The insects seemed to be paralysed in mid air for a few seconds before falling to the ground. They remained for a moment before evaporating.

Blue-Eyes smirked as Swarm took a step back and nearly fell over the edge of the building. "Don't think you have won yet!" Swarm himself then began to morph into a new and much deadlier beast. Blue-Eyes stepped back as Swarm revealed his new form: a great moth.

The moth swooped down and bared its fangs, ready to strike but Blue-Eyes tumbled out of the way. Blue-Eyes summoned a ball of electricity and fired it at Swarm, but he simply dodged. The moth continued to dive and Blue-Eyes narrowly avoided the fangs every time but his luck soon ran out as one tore along his left arm. Blue-Eyes yelled in pain and stumbled to the edge of the building. Swarm sensed a chance and flew straight at Blue-Eyes, and straight into the latter's trap.

Blue-Eyes released a concentrated beam of light and blinded the moth momentarily. The great insect screamed in pain while Blue-Eyes summoned a ball of electricity. He built the energy for as long as he dared and just as Swarm regained his sight, Blue-Eyes launched his attack. Swarm howled in pain as his body convulsed with the electricity. He then changed back to his human form and was faced with Blue-Eyes standing over him.

In an act of desperation, Swarm used his last energy to transform into a fly and attempted to escape but did not get far before being caught in Blue-Eyes' hand. "After failing to get rid of me you decide to run with your tail between your legs? You are such a poor example of a villain. I can't believe that several heroes failed to catch you before me." Blue-Eyes turned round and began to leap back across the rooftops with his latest catch.

* * *

Blue-Eyes slowed down from his run and stared at the door on the roof of Domino Arcade. He checked to see if he still had Swarm in the jar he had trapped the now miniscule insect in and smirked when he saw that Swarm had transformed yet again, this time into a hornet. The hornet was buzzing about against the glass, desperately trying to shatter it. "Guess you are cursing the fact that you can't transform into anything greater than the size of your surroundings. Pathetic." Blue-Eyes then stepped through the door and descended to the next level where he was met with a young woman sitting at a desk.

"Welcome back. Did you get him?" she asked politely.

Blue-Eyes stood proudly and showed off the jar containing Swarm. "Did you ever doubt it?" he answered smugly.

She simply smiled and pressed a button under her desk. The wall behind her opened and Blue-Eyes stepped towards it. "Keep it up, Blue-Eyes. You are really making an impression in the Guild."

Blue-Eyes stopped just before the threshold and turned back to her. "Good or bad?"

She smiled yet again before answering. "Whatever you make it, Blue-Eyes."

Blue-Eyes smiled at the response before stepping into his home: The Guild of Heroes. The archways towered above him at 100 feet in their majestic beauty, with beams carved out of fine oak and then embellished with gold. The long corridor ended in the central plaza where heroes of all ages and classes met and socialised before branching off into several other areas. The Guild acted as a home to most heroes and as such, had grown into a city of sorts. With over 10000 heroes across the world, the Guild was a sanctuary for many who were inexperienced. It also served as a hub for them to track the movements of many villains and pre-empt any strikes they may attempt. Many used the Guild for training and/or shelter before returning to fight in their respective cities. Currently, there were 7 heroes protecting Domino City.

"Kaiba!" came a shout from not too far away. Blue-Eyes rolled his eyes before facing one of the few heroes in the Guild that he could not stand: Joey Wheeler, also known as Skylark.

"What do you want, Wheeler?" he spat back. Joey glared with as much intensity as he could manage, but Blue-Eyes was more than able to match it and even surpass its ferocity.

"I was wondering where you were slacking off to. Care to elaborate for me?" sneered Joey. He was met with a laugh of contempt which sparked his anger. "What's so funny, Kaiba?"

Kaiba tossed the jar containing Swarm to Joey who looked at it in disbelief. "Well, I was catching Swarm if you call that 'slacking off'. Would he not be the villain who has slipped away from you, let me see…three times in the past, Wheeler?"

"You better watch your attitude, Kaiba. Just because you are the protégé of the King of the Guild doesn't mean anything! You will show the proper amount of respect to those who outrank you!"

Kaiba turned around only to see a trio of heroes enter the Guild and smiled when he recognised two of them. "Well why don't you let me know when you find one of those people, won't you bird-brain?" he then started to walk away but turned back. "Toss back my catch. I don't want you laying claim to him when I caught him on my first attempt."

Joey growled before launching the jar back at Kaiba. "Like I need the credit. You have been here for 4 months, I have been here for 9 YEARS. In the scheme of things, I am valued much more than you are and ever will be, Blue-Eyes."

Kaiba smirked before walking away again, but he couldn't resist leaving a final comment. "Well, I'm going to enjoy proving you wrong, Skylark." Joey growled in disgust before storming off.

Kaiba came to a stop roughly fifteen feet away from the trio of Fury, Supersonic and Gamble. As ever, Supersonic and Gamble were at each other's throats, arguing, while Fury was sitting back and watching amusedly. It was then that Kaiba noticed Fury had a sack lying next to her with what Kaiba presumed was another villain. "So you are now carrying them around like trash, are you Mai?"

Fury turned round and grinned at Kaiba. "Well that is what they are, Seto. Garbage." Mai then proceeded to kick the sack for good measure. A whimper could be heard through the material which caused Kaiba to snigger. "How did it go with Swarm?"

"Seriously, how does everyone know I was sent after Swarm? Was it really that big a deal?"

"Well, think about it Seto. You are the newest member of the Guild, hand-picked by the King of the Guild himself to be his protégé after he had only previously taken on Terraform and Cyberspace: arguably the two most senior members of the Guild, and you were sent after a villain who had evaded over twenty heroes, including Joey who is one of the best." Kaiba scoffed, which brought a smile to Mai's face. "It was certainly a shock to hear that you had been picked, but we were confident that you would succeed."

"We being who, Mai? You and the fools who are 'friends' with Blue-Eyes?" came a sneer from behind. Mai whipped around to snap back at Gamble but found that Joey was standing right next to him. "Go on Mai, tell us who this loser's cheerleading squad are."

"Shut your trap, Duke, before I sew it shut." Kaiba smiled and turned to Supersonic who had joined the conversation. "Like you can talk, you have been here, what, a year, year and a half tops? What do you know about the quality of heroes?"

"After being bunged with you and Fury for the past few months I think I know what your thoughts are on 'quality heroes'," retorted Duke smugly. Joey shot him a glare but said nothing.

"What? Say that again wise guy and you'll feel my fist connecting with your jaw!"

"Easy Tristan," coaxed Mai.

"Don't give him the satisfaction, Tristan. I imagine it is all the kicks he'll get with you two doing the hard work every day," announced Kaiba smugly. Mai and Tristan burst out laughing while Duke looked like he might explode.

"Care for a fight, Blue-Eyes?" growled Duke.

"Wouldn't be worth my time, Devlin," responded Kaiba proudly.

"That's it! Prepare for an ass kicking you soon won't forget!" Duke drew a knife from his belt and launched at Kaiba but was swiftly halted. He was held in the air by a clawed hand and felt the implements breaking his skin.

"If I were you, I would stay very still, Devlin," suggested Mai. Duke looked down and saw it was Mai who had him in a now helpless position. His eyes darted up and saw the smug look on Kaiba's face and the Cheshire cat grin that Tristan was sporting. Duke growled lowly, at which Mai's hold tightened ever so slightly.

A whimper from the sack nearby eased the tension in the air. Tristan walked over and gave it an almighty kick. "Shut up, dino-boy, you have been enough of a pain already."

Mai looked over at Tristan and sighed before turning her attention back to Duke. "Get out of here, Devlin, before you do yourself more harm." She them promptly dropped Duke and he crashed to the ground with a painful thud. Tristan and Kaiba had to stifle their laughter as Duke got back to his feet.

"This isn't over. This doesn't change the fact that you are one of the worst heroes here, Blue-Eyes," snapped Duke angrily.

"Well even if he was, Devlin, at least he has friends, unlike you. Now scram," answered Tristan icily. Kaiba smiled gratefully.

"In that case, till the next assignment. I'll see you then, Fury, Supersonic. And I'll see you around, Joey." Duke tried to walk away but soon tripped. Mai, Tristan and Kaiba all burst out laughing while Joey averted his gaze and had a quiet snigger. Red in the face, Duke quickly slipped out of sight.

"I suppose I should take my leave," stated Joey. His eyes then shot daggers at Kaiba. "You better not try anything, Kaiba, or you will have me to answer to."

"Like I would, Wheeler. They are here by choice," answered Kaiba. Joey looked at both Mai and Tristan who simply smiled. He knew all too well that they were friends with Kaiba by choice and it annoyed him like hell.

"Smell you lot later." With that, Joey left.

Kaiba sighed which caught the attention of both Mai and Tristan. "What's wrong, Seto?" inquired Tristan.

"I wonder why you two are still friends with me sometimes. Especially when it leads to conflicts like that. I mean, look at it. Mai, your boyfriend hates my guts and has since I came here and Tristan, Joey is your best friend. Why would you side with me over him?" admitted Kaiba.

"Well that is simple, Seto. We both know Joey, and we know that he can be such an idiot a lot of the time. Plus, when he gets an idea about someone in his head, it takes a lot for him to dispel that idea. He got the wrong impression when you first arrived and since has thought that you don't belong," answered Mai honestly.

"Which begs the question: why the hell does he like Devlin? That guy is the ultimate low-life," added Tristan.

"I must say, I do feel sorry for you two with Devlin as a part of your team," stated Kaiba.

"Tell me about it," growled Mai. "While we were catching Cretaceous, he was off making out with some random girl!"

"So that's the garbage heap? Cretaceous?" Kaiba looked over at the sack and stifled a laugh as he saw its contents were trying to crawl away along the floor.

"Oi! Get back here dino-boy!" Tristan kicked the sack and froze when he heard what sounded an awful lot like crying. Tristan looked at both Mai and Kaiba wide-eyed before the trio burst out laughing.

"What's all the hilarity about?" asked a very smooth voice from behind Kaiba and Mai. They turned round and saw Tea Gardner, also known as Sunset.

"Hey hon!" exclaimed Mai before bringing Tea into a friendly hug. Tea beamed at seeing her friends and stood next to Kaiba. He didn't notice the slight scarlet tinge to her cheeks as he quite happily wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "How was it out there?"

"Well," started Tea, "I think you can guess how much fighting I got to do with Terraform as my partner."

"Raphael is still not giving you a sniff, is he?" asked Tristan.

"Nope, and I am getting bored. How come I have to get lumbered with my mentor while you get free reign, Seto?"

Kaiba innocently shrugged his shoulders. "Think about it hon, Seto is getting mentored by Archaic, the King of the Guild. And you know that he NEVER leaves the Guild unless it is an emergency," suggested Mai.

"Or is it Pegasus just being lazy?" teased Tristan. Kaiba and Tea burst out laughing while Mai giggled.

"No, Mai's right. Pegasus doesn't leave the Guild and because of that, I'm flying solo," answered Kaiba.

"Oh well, enough of me complaining about Raphael, how about you, Seto? Did you get him?" chirped Tea excitedly.

Kaiba gave her a disapproving look before answering. "What do you mean did I get him? Of course I got him!"

Tea cheered while Mai and Tristan laughed triumphantly. "That's a 20 that Joey owes me," declared Mai triumphantly.

"You and me both, Mai," added Tristan.

Kaiba and Tea shared a small smile. "So, let's see him then!" exclaimed Tea.

Kaiba sighed and threw the jar at Tristan who clumsily caught it. He eyed it sceptically for Swarm had once again changed, but this time into a caterpillar. "This is Swarm?" asked Tristan disbelievingly.

"Just wait for it…" Tea and Mai followed Kaiba's advice and watched carefully while Tristan brought the jar up close and scowled at the caterpillar. Out of the blue, Swarm then changed back into a hornet and started to charge at the glass with his first target being Tristan's face. Tristan yelped in surprise and fell backwards while Mai and Tea burst out laughing. Tristan shot Kaiba a glare who innocently shrugged his shoulders, but failed miserably at hiding the grin attempting to break through.

"Tea!" Tea quickly sobered and pulled Mai over to take her place. She hid behind the two forms of Kaiba and Mai for a couple of seconds, and then turned invisible.

"Tea?" inquired Mai. After a quick glance backwards she wrapped her arm round Kaiba's waist. A couple of seconds later he did the same, not knowing what she was up to. Tristan looked on just as puzzled.

"It's Raphael! I'd recognise his voice anywhere!" squeaked Tea.

"Mai?" questioned Kaiba.

"I am doing you such a favour right now…" she whispered back before capturing his lips in a tender kiss.

Tristan's jaw hit the floor and Tea's almost did the same but she felt a strong jealousy building within her when Kaiba replied to the kiss. She was thankful that she had decided to turn invisible because she did not want Kaiba to see her like this.

"Am I interrupting something?" Mai broke away and came face-to-face with Raphael Crucius, also known as Terraform.

"You might be Raphael," she replied silkily. Tristan had to stop a grin which was threatening to show when he realised Mai's plan.

"I didn't know that you were seeing anyone, Mai. And I am surprised at your choice," added Raphael whilst casting an inquisitive eye over Kaiba. Kaiba kept a straight face despite his surprise at the conversation.

"And why is that? Seto is a quality hero after all."

"Hmm. Anyway, I was wondering where Tea disappeared to. Seeing as you three are her friends I wondered if you would know."

Mai and Kaiba looked around before shrugging their shoulders. Raphael glanced down at Tristan and gave him a sceptical look. Tristan wondered what for until he realised he was still on the ground. He shook his head and got back to his feet. "Sorry Raphael, we haven't seen her," stated Tristan, even though he could feel Tea hiding behind him.

Raphael sighed. "Well, if you do see her, tell her that I will be waiting for her at the Training Ring."

"We will do, Raphael."

Raphael turned to leave but looked back to Mai and Kaiba. They still had their arms wrapped around each other's waists. "I shall leave you all to it then. Mai, Tristan, Seto." Raphael gave them a small nod before leaving.

Kaiba gave Mai a sceptical look while she simply beamed back at him. "Okay, what was all that about?" he asked.

"Did you notice anything about Raphael there, Seto?" she chirped back.

"That he didn't know you have been seeing Wheeler for the past three years?"

"Apart from that."

"Other that the fact that he used my name for the first time, no, I didn't."

Mai sighed. "Seto, that was the whole point. Raphael has never thought much of you as a hero and has always questioned Pegasus' decision to take you on as his protégé. He does, however, trust my opinion of people, so if I see you as someone I can trust and even show my emotions to: which you know is extremely rare, then he will think that you are someone worthy of his respect."

Kaiba sat there and thought about what Mai had just said while Tristan joined in the conversation. "She is right, Seto. I was trained by Raphael and because of that I know him pretty well. Having his respect means a lot."

Kaiba smiled slightly. "Thanks, Mai."

Mai smiled back and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "No problem. You can buy me a drink later for it."

Kaiba laughed. "Deal."

Mai and Tristan's wrist straps started beeping. The pair answered to a simultaneous transmission. "Fury, Supersonic, you are to report for Intensive Training in the Arena immediately."

Both Mai and Tristan groaned. "You have to be kidding me," whined Mai.

"Sorry Mai. Pegasus is wanting you both there in twenty minutes." Mai sighed. "Oh, by the way, if Seto is with you, tell him to come see me as soon as he can, his communicator seems to be offline. Again, Pegasus' orders."

Kaiba expressed the same shock that Mai and Tristan did. "Will do, Fury out." She lowered her arm and looked at Kaiba's arm, at which she gasped. "Seto, what happened?"

"What?" Kaiba then remembered the gash down his arm and realised his wrist strap had been destroyed at the same time. "Oh, Swarm's handy work."

"That looks nasty, you should get it checked out," suggested Tristan.

"I think I will, but I suppose I should go see Cyberspace first." Tristan handed back the jar to Kaiba before he began to walk away. "See you two later."

"Remember Seto, you owe me a drink," reminded Mai. Kaiba gave her a small salute before leaving. "All right Tea, you can turn visible again."

Tea reappeared at Mai's and looked incensed. "You could have at least warned me," she growled.

"Warned you and then given away to Seto that you fancy him like crazy?" Mai teased.

Tea's cheeks flamed a bright crimson. "W-Well…"

"Uh-huh. Speaking of which, Tea, when are you going to make a move on our gorgeous Seto?" inquired Mai.

Tea's eyes shot to the floor. "I don't know…"

Mai sighed. "Listen hon, guys are rubbish at making the first move. They won't budge unless you show them that you are interested. Take Joey for instance. I had to kiss him when we were out on an assignment for him to even consider admitting to me how he felt."

Tea's mouth hung open for a couple of seconds. "Really?"

Tristan sniggered. "Tea, Joey is not the brightest of heroes."

Tea giggled. "True."

"So are you going to tell him," persisted Mai. Tea sometimes wished that she had a best friend who was less bossy than Mai. Sometimes.

"I'll tell him soon," relented Tea. Mai beamed triumphantly while Tristan glanced at his watch.

"We should go, Mai. We need to drop off Cretaceous to the lock-up before going to the Arena and we don't want to keep Pegasus waiting," suggested Tristan.

"Good point. See ya later hon!" Mai and Tristan waved to Tea as they headed off dragging Cretaceous behind them. Tea dashed off to meet Raphael. She knew that if she kept him waiting that she'd be in trouble.

* * *

Kaiba entered the technology section of the Guild and walked towards the Control Room. He stood before the great silver doors and allowed the retinal scanner to do its work. _It's not often that she activates the scanner. I guess that she is avoiding someone. Either that or she is locking them out for their own safety._

He could hear the locks releasing and waited for the doors to slide open before moving forward. Most of the walls were lined with monitors which were showing various images and calculations being processed. He saw the blonde hair flicked over the edge of the leather chair at the controls and smiled. "Hey, Bec," he greeted.

The chair's occupant spun round and grinned. At 28, Rebecca Hawkins was one of the oldest and most experienced members of the Guild. She also had the distinction of being one of only three heroes to be trained by Archaic: supposedly the greatest ever hero. As such, she could empathise with Kaiba and the expectation on his shoulders. "Good to see you Seto. I take it you have Swarm for me?"

"Of course. I would watch though, he has an attitude problem and might try to sting you. He's taken a chunk out of me already," he warned and showed the gash down his left arm.

"So I see. Well that explains why I couldn't contact you. Let's have him then." Kaiba walked over and passed the jar to Rebecca who then placed it into a large chamber by the edge of the controls. A scanning beam descended over the jar and then illuminated Swarm. The insect cowered at the light as Rebecca and Kaiba analysed the results. "Okay, let's take a look at what we've got."

**Swarm – Weevil Underwood**

Age: 16

Powers: Metamorphosis (into Insects), Control of Insects

Power Rating: 34

Wanted For: Multiple petty theft (estimated 15)

Status: Captured

"Well, nothing interesting there. How could twenty heroes fail to catch this guy?" inquired Kaiba sceptically.

"You know all too well that a lot of the heroes in the Guild are idiots. Plus, it was mainly trainees and heroes not resident to Domino sent after him."

"Can I ask why?"

"Domino has a lot of problems with villains. That is part of the reason I wanted you to come down here. One, to do some research on many of the guys you will face out there. Two, Archaic has suggested partnering you up and I want you to research all the other heroes of Domino and choose."

"What? I came down here for study? Shit…" Kaiba stepped back and sighed.

"Sorry Seto, but I has to be done. You can take the station over there. I will be testing you on it at the end so no pretending. Who knows, you might learn something new." Rebecca gave Kaiba a small wink which was met with a scowl.

"Thanks, Rebecca." Kaiba slumped into the nearby seat and started the research. The screen flickered as it warmed up and he eevntually found the first hero.

**Gamble – Duke Devlin**

Age: 22

Powers: Time Manipulation Class 1, Heightened Perception, Air Manipulation Class 3, Heightened Agility

Power Rating: 69

Known Relatives: None

Time as Guild Member: 1 year, 2 months, 29 days

Trained By: None

Trained In: Karate (complete), Firearms (complete), Swordplay (complete)

_As much as Devlin's powers are useful, there is no way in hell that I could stand being partnered with him. Although the karate is interesting… Next._

**Supersonic – Tristan Taylor**

Age: 22

Powers: Supersonic Running, Supersonic Hearing, Heightened Agility

Power Rating: 74

Known Relatives: Marie Taylor, mother (Age: 40)

Christopher Taylor, father (Age: 43)

Time as Guild Member: 9 years, 3 months, 24 days

Trained By: Terraform (complete)

Trained In: Tae Kwon Do (complete), Swordplay (complete), Spiritua Connection (64%)

_Tristan's family are all still alive. That is rare. Rebecca was right, I am learning some new things. Supersonic Hearing? I'll have to test that one out sometime. Tristan would be a good partner but do I really want to split him and Mai up? Speaking of which…_

**Fury – Mai Valentine**

Age: 24

Powers: Wing Propelled Flight, Heightened Perception, Eagle Eyes, Claws

Power Rating: 75

Known Relatives: None

Time as Guild Member: 8 years, 11 months, 4 days

Trained By: Terraform (complete), Archaic (complete)

Trained In: Kickboxing (complete), Meditation (complete), Firearms (complete), Spiritua Connection (64%)

_She was trained by both Raphael and Pegasus? That I did not know and I am surprised. A hero is usually only mentored by one other. I'll have to ask Pegasus about that one when I see him next. Wing Propelled Flight? That would be an impressive sight. Eagle Eyes, that explains how she saw Raphael so far away earlier. I really didn't know that much about Mai as Fury._

**Skylark – Joey Wheeler**

Age: 21

Powers: Wing Propelled Flight, Air Manipulation Class 4

Power Rating: 85

Known Relatives: Alana Wheeler, mother (deceased)

Michael Wheeler, father (deceased)

Serenity Wheeler, sister (Age: 19)

Time as Guild Member: 9 years, 3 months, 24 days

Trained By: Terraform (complete)

Trained In: Jujitsu (complete), Swordplay (complete), Firearms (complete), Spiritua Connection (12%)

_Wheeler has a sister? And she's my age, I wonder if she has any powers. Looking at the time everyone has been here explains the lack of respect. I have four months whereas everyone else has, what, 8 or 9 years mostly? Devlin is the exception to that but then again he wasn't trained here. Hang on…Wheeler and Tristan arrived here the same day. I guess they were best friends before coming here in that case._

Kaiba's eyes welled up when his own profile flashed across the screen.

**Blue-Eyes – Seto Kaiba**

Age: 18

Powers: Electrical Manipulation Class 4, Light Manipulation Class 3

Power Rating: 77

Known Relatives: Mokuba Kaiba, brother (deceased)

Time as Guild Member: 4 months, 13 days

Trained By: Archaic

Trained In: Kickboxing (complete), Swordplay (53%), Spiritua Connection (84%), Firearms (complete)

_Mokuba…_

* * *

_~ 6 months earlier ~_

"_Mokuba! Mokuba! Damn, where are you kid?" Kaiba shouted out. He had been searching for his brother for nearly half an hour. "You are getting far too good at this game…" he whispered to himself._

"_Not my fault if I am better at Hide and Seek than you are, Seto!" chimed back Mokuba from his hiding spot. Kaiba couldn't quite pinpoint where his brother was, but he got a fairly good idea._

_Kaiba walked over to a window and peered behind the curtain before turning his gaze skyward, and finding Mokuba holding himself up between the curtain rail and the window. "Busted."_

"_Uh oh…I'm going to slip!" Mokuba then let go and landed on his brother. Kaiba took a couple of seconds to stop his head from spinning and then faced his grinning brother._

"_Slip, huh? Seems to me that you planned to land on me, and for that, you are in trouble." Kaiba then started tickling Mokuba and left the younger teen breathless._

"_Oh god! Seto! Big brother please-ah! Stop please! Ah-hah-ha…" Mokuba was left helpless by his brother's tickling attack and took about a minute to regain his breath. In that time Kaiba had freed himself from being pinned by Mokuba and was watching his brother affectionately. Mokuba turned to him and saw a soft smile gracing his lips._

_A bark resounded in the background which drew a growl from Kaiba. Mokuba laughed nervously. "Eh…sorry big brother, I'll just go and see to him." Mokuba started edging towards the door. "Yeah, I'll go and feed him or something…" With that, Mokuba took off towards the garden and left Kaiba laughing away to himself. Kaiba slowly wandered out of the study and off towards the kitchen to prepare them some dinner when he heard the most soul-wrenching sound of his life._

"_SETO!" Kaiba's blood ran cold at the terrified scream of Mokuba and without a second thought, he dashed out towards the garden._

_When emerged into the dying sunlight he could just make out Mokuba hiding behind a tree and a mysterious figure nearby. The man was throwing a fire ball between his hands which accented the red uniform he was wearing. His pink hair was shining in the remains of daylight and his eyes were fixed on Kaiba. "You must be herr Kaiba then," hissed the stranger._

"_Who are you?" demanded Kaiba. Mokuba prepared to run to his brother but Kaiba signalled for Mokuba to remain where he was. Mokuba did as he was told and stayed._

"_I am Crescent, and I have come for your powers."_

"_Powers? What the hell are you talking about you lunatic?" Kaiba felt the panic rising within him and knew that Mokuba and he were in serious danger._

"_Ah, not that it will to you. For you see, my methods are, shall we say…fatal to the victims?" A cruel smile played across Crescent's lips at which Kaiba knew what had to be done._

"_Mokuba, run! This guy is lethal!" Kaiba called to his younger brother. _

"_But Seto-"_

"_RUN!" Kaiba was forced to dive away almost instantly upon finishing his sentence as Crescent threw the fireball he was wielding at the elder brother. Kaiba collided with the ground hard and hissed in pain before he felt a rush of air throw him back into a nearby tree. A sickening cracking sound could be heard as Kaiba collided with the ground yet again and screamed in agony. He knew instantly that his right leg was broken._

"_Seto!" cried Mokuba. Crescent then turned to face the younger brother and threw a fire ball at him. Mokuba screamed and ran to his right but unfortunately had not been paying enough attention to Crescent who intercepted him. He hoisted Mokuba into the air and held him by his neck while a strange aura began to surround his other hand. Kaiba was witness to the whole event._

"_Stop! Let him go!" Kaiba tried to move but the intense pain was clouding his senses. He struggled to his left knee and prepared to rise but heard the most horrific sound of his life straight afterward. He looked up and saw Crescent's hand had plunged into Mokuba's chest. "NO!"_

_Crescent laughed cruelly as he began draining the life out of Mokuba. The younger teen started wheezing and soon went limp in Crescent's hold. Crescent hissed in disgust for an unknown reason before tossing away Mokuba's body. Kaiba looked over to his brother and saw his eyes fixed open with terror evident on his face._

_Mokuba was dead._

"_YOU BASTARD!" hollered Kaiba before throwing a nearby rock at Crescent's head. It was all he could really do from his current position. Kaiba had struggled back to his feet in the time it had taken Crescent to beat away the rock. He then summoned another fire ball between his hands and fixed his gaze upon Kaiba. The elder brother could do nothing but watch at the blazing orb collided with his chest._

_Kaiba gave an almighty shriek in midair before crashing back to the ground unconscious. Smoke could be seen rising from his chest where the attack had met him and the skin in that area was severely burned. Crescent sauntered over and summoned the same aura he had before and then plunged his hand into Kaiba's chest. It did not remain there, however._

_No more than a couple of seconds later, Crescent was struck by a powerful bolt of lightning. The villain scrambled back to his feet to retaliate, but then froze when he saw who his foe was._

"_Archaic!" he gasped when he caught sight of the all too familiar silver hair and gold cloak. Archaic summoned another lightning bolt but did not have time to use it before Crescent fled._

_Archaic relaxed before kneeling by Kaiba's side. He examined his injuries carefully before activating his wrist strap. "This is Archaic. I have traced the strange energy spikes and it has led me to a teenage boy no more than 18 years old. He is in a severe condition. I require assistance immediately."_

"_Terraform is on his way, Archaic. Anything else to report?"_

_Archaic looked sadly at Mokuba's limp form before replying. "There is one casualty…"_

* * *

Kaiba snapped out of his memories fiercely. Tears were streaking down his cheeks and creating wet splotches on his uniform. He quickly brushed them aside and waited for his composure to return.

Rebecca looked on sadly nearby. She knew what he was thinking about and felt some sort of connection with him over the tragic event. She had been the one to answer Pegasus' call for assistance and had sent Raphael as help. She remembered Kaiba's broken body being carried into the Guild by Raphael and Pegasus right behind with Mokuba's body. Pegasus himself had buried Mokuba while Kaiba had been trapped in a coma following the attack. Pegasus had felt responsible to Mokuba's death for he had been meaning to visit them earlier that day but had become side-tracked. How costly it had been to Kaiba…

Kaiba began flicking through the rest of the hero profiles, desperate to keep his mind off of Mokuba.

**Cyberspace – Rebecca Hawkins**

Age: 28

Powers: Machinery Communication, Electrical Manipulation Class 5, Heightened Mental Capacity

Power Rating: 54

Known Relatives: Arthur Hawkins, grandfather (deceased)

Time as Guild Member: 15 years, 3 months, 1 day

Trained By: Archaic (complete)

Trained In: Swordplay (complete), Firearms (complete), Meditation (complete)

_Rebecca's powers certainly are unique…_

**Archaic – Pegasus Crawford**

Age: 35

Powers: Power Duplication, Power Immunity.

Power Rating: 98

Known Relatives: Cecilia Crawford, wife (Age: 32)

Time as Guild Member: 22 years, 15 days

Trained By: Unknown

Trained In: Kickboxing (complete), Jujitsu (complete), Tae Kwon Do (complete), Swordplay (complete), Firearms (complete), Meditation (complete), Spiritua Connection (complete)

_Pegasus has been here for 22 years? Add to all the knowledge he has gained his abilities to copy and power he has come across and immunity to certain powers after a time, it is no wonder he is thought of as the greatest hero of all time._

**Sunset – Tea Gardner**

Age: 19

Powers: Invisibility (in light), Light Manipulation Class 1

Power Rating: 44

Known Relatives: Marisa Gardner, mother (deceased)

Phillip Gardner, father (Age: 42)

Time as Guild Member: 5 years, 2 months, 3 days

Trained By: Terraform

Trained In: Meditation (complete), Tae Kwon Do (complete), Swordplay (87%), Spiritua Connection (20%)

_Tea is one year older than me and has already been here nearly 5 years longer. Shows how much younger I could have been when I came here._

**Terraform – Raphael Crucius **

Age: 26

Powers: Skin Hardening, Earth Manipulation Class 5

Power Rating: 88

Known Relatives: Alister Crucius aka Glacier, adopted brother (Currently Wanted)

Valon Crucius aka Inferno, adopted brother (Currently Wanted)

Time as Guild Member: 12 years, 9 months, 28 days

Trained By: Archaic (complete)

Trained In: Tae Kwon Do (complete), Jujitsu (complete), Swordplay (complete), Spiritua Connection (56%), Firearms (complete)

"What?" questioned Kaiba out loud. He had to read Raphael's profile twice more before realising its implications.

"Yeah, it's true. Raphael's brothers are the famed duo of Glacier and Inferno." Kaiba turned to Rebecca who was staring at the screen sadly. "Raphael came here when he was 13. Alister was 12 and Valon was 10. Raphael had looked after both of them and when he left, they were put into care. Alister and Valon think that the Guild forced Raphael to come here and has since brainwashed him into remaining here. When Valon turned 16 Raphael returned to them and offered them to join. They both refused and have since sworn to destroy the Guild and free their brother." Rebecca the turned to Kaiba. "Raphael may appear strong on the outside, but on the inside, he is despairing over them. He fears that should they actually kill another hero, they won't be shown any mercy by Pegasus: they will be hunted down and destroyed."

Kaiba nodded solemnly. Rebecca looked at her watch and gasped. "Look at the time!" she exclaimed. "I have kept you here far too long. Go on and enjoy the remains of the evening and I'll see you tomorrow, Seto."

Kaiba smiled before standing. "Thanks, Bec. I'll see you in the morning."

Rebecca winked at him. "No problem, now get out of here."

* * *

Kaiba sat on the edge of one of Domino's highest buildings and watched the people on the street below. _They have no idea…_

"Seto?" asked a concerned voice from behind. Kaiba turned round and saw the short brown hair and blue eyes of Tea.

"Hey, Tea," greeted Kaiba tiredly. Tea sat down next to him and followed his gaze to the people below.

"What are you thinking about?" Tea was almost afraid of hearing the answer since Kaiba was almost never this thoughtful.

"Six months ago, I would have been down there with them. I was living an insignificant life and was completely unaware of everything happening around me all the time. For 18 years I was ignorant of my own powers and it took my brother's death for me to realise where I truly belonged." Tea looked at Kaiba and saw for the first time that he had bloodshot eyes. "I am going to find him. I am going to find the bastard that murdered Mokuba and I am going to inflict on him every ounce of pain that my brother felt while he died."

Tea found Kaiba's hand was sitting between them and took it in her own. Kaiba looked on as their fingers intertwined. "You are not alone in this fight, Seto. Mai, Tristan and I will be there when you find Crescent and we will make him pay. Not only for killing Mokuba, but for what he did to you. You keep seeming to forget that he put you in a coma for a month and almost killed you too."

Kaiba chuckled lowly. "That seems so insignificant when my brother is gone. I sometimes wish that Crescent had gone after me first instead."

"Then I would be leading a much more miserable life than I do now." Kaiba turned to Tea but she refused to meet his eyes. "Seto, you don't know how much you have changed my life since you arrived. Life was beginning to become a chore for me and I almost felt like giving up. Nothing really seemed to have much purpose. I was a hero but I could not protect anyone. I had friends, but I never saw them because they were always out on assignments. All I did was train, eat and sleep." Tea finally faced Kaiba and swallowed hard for courage. "You have brought out emotions in me that I long since thought were gone. You made me feel again, Seto. And I can't ever thank you enough."

Kaiba was shocked by her confession. "Well I am not going anywhere, Tea. I am here to stay."

Tea smiled at Kaiba before snuggling into his chest. He wrapped an arm round her waist while the other held her shoulders. Kaiba placed a small kiss on Tea's head and heard her sighing happily as he stared at the sunset. _The life of a hero is not as easy as people might think…_

* * *

So what do you think? It's a lot to take in, I know.

Please Read and Review!

Chapter 2 will be coming out soon.


	2. The Spiritua Connection

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its affiliated characters.

Hi all, hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Just one point I will make, for **Blue September**, I am not intending to have any OC's in this story apart from everyone's hero identities. And I own their hero identities so no stealing!

All right, here is a list of all the characters and their Hero names just so that you can keep track easier.

**Seto Kaiba – Blue-Eyes**

**Joey Wheeler – Skylark**

**Tea Gardner – Sunset**

**Tristan Taylor – Supersonic**

**Duke Devlin – Gamble**

**Mai Valentine – Fury**

**Rebecca Hawkins – Cyberspace**

**Raphael Crucius – Terraform**

**Pegasus Crawford – Archaic**

Yugi and Yami will be introduced later. By the way, just in case you are confused, Raphael is one of Dartz's henchmen from the English anime and I just made up his surname. For the purposes of my story he, Alister and Valon (the other two henchmen) are all brothers. Hope that clears thing up.

Time to move on.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Spiritua Connection**

Kaiba woke with a start when he heard a fierce argument outside his quarters. He tried to muffle it with his pillow but soon gave up. After some careful listening (in other words, actually paying attention to the fight) he realised that one of the voices was Joey. Kaiba groaned as he got out of bed and prepared to wrench open the door and give him what-for, but froze when he recognised Tristan's voice too. _Wheeler and Tristan are fighting? Those two are best friends…_

"I'm telling you for the last time, get the hell outta my way Tristan!" roared Joey. Kaiba snickered behind the door quietly, amused by Joey's reaction.

"And I'm telling you to take a hike Joey!" thundered Tristan back.

"Why you protectin' him, eh? Why I'm gonna show that little shit-"

"Joey, why don't you ask Mai about it first, huh? You don't know-"

"I don't need to know anything else Tristan! All I know is that Kaiba was kissing _my_ _fucking girlfriend_! I am going to kill that bastard!"

Kaiba's amusement swiftly changed to horror. _Oh shit! How the hell did he find out about that without Mai telling him? She was meant to explain last night. There is no way I'm going to get out of here without him trying to murder me. If there is one thing I know for sure about Wheeler, it's that he will personally kill anyone who even so much as looks at Mai, and the fact I'm the one he's got his sights on is not going to help in the slightest. _Kaiba scanned his room for any potential hiding spots but knew all too well there weren't any. He inwardly groaned in frustration and turned his attention to the window. If he were to be caught climbing out of there Raphael would personally see to it that he spent the next month or two going through Extreme Training and nothing was worth enduring that. 16 hours training a day for one was gruelling enough but a whole month…Kaiba shuddered at the thought of it.

His mind then clicked. He would easily be seen scaling the walls…but…

Kaiba sprinted to the window and opened it. He was relieved when he saw the window below open. He didn't want to give away to anyone that he was awake, or more importantly that he was awake and using the wrist strap would not be subtle at all. Quickly grabbing one of his belts from the side of his bed, he leaned out as far as he could manage and tapped it off the window below. _Please let her be in…_

An almost ecstatic laugh escaped his lips when he saw the mass of brown hair emerge from the window and start looking around. She looked left, right, down…and then went back into her room. Kaiba quickly growled in frustration while rolling his eyes, and proceeded to repeat his knocking. When the brunette appeared again and still did not look up, Kaiba lightly brushed the belt off her forehead. Finally, she turned her gaze skyward and almost fell out of the window in shock. "Seto? What the hell are you doing hanging out of the window?"

"Tea, I need a massive favour right now."

A mischievous grin spread over Tea's face when she saw that Kaiba was shirtless. A scarlet tinge was threatening to break through but she suppressed it. She was going to take advantage of this. "And why should I grant it?"

"Because if you don't I am probably going to be dead in-" Kaiba jumped when the door to his room was battered against but did not open. He could hear Joey and Tristan louder than ever: they were just outside his door. "I'm going to be killed by Joey in about 30 seconds."

All the colour in Tea's face quickly drained when she realised the gravity of the situation. "Oh he didn't…"

"He did, and now I'm in the firing line. Lend me a hand?"

Tea smiled again before turning invisible.

* * *

Joey literally threw Tristan through Kaiba's door and marched in after him. The blonde scanned the room with rage filled eyes. The lights were on, Kaiba's bed was not made but most importantly, the window was open. He suspected that Kaiba was in the room. Tristan rubbed his temple, trying to nurse the rapidly onset headache he had received from his best friend. Joey strode purposefully over to the window and looked down. Tea's window too was open. Joey doubted that Kaiba would dare climb down the structure in fear of being caught. Joey's sharp eyes then glazed over the supposedly empty room. Joey smirked before sauntering over to the light switch. "Joey, what are you doing now you idiot?" growled Tristan, still incensed at being thrown through the door.

"Tea's invisibility only works in the light. So if I were to turns the lights…" Joey flicked the switch and darkness descended over the room. "off?"

Joey hissed when no forms appeared like he expected them to. Tristan stood and glared at Joey. He then wandered over to the opposite side of the room and nearly froze when he saw a hand waving at him from under the bed. Joey had stormed off into the bathroom so Tristan slyly retracted his yellow laser light from his pocket and shone it on the hand quickly. His suspicions were confirmed when the hand disappeared: it had been Tea asking for help. Tristan switched off the laser when Joey reappeared and carefully concealed it. Joey then walked over to the opposite side of the bed from Tristan and growled in frustration. The annoyance melted away and a cruel smile appeared in its place when he looked at the gap beneath Kaiba's bed. He crouched and prepared to launch out at those he would find…

Kaiba was thanking his lucky stars that there was about a foot gap from the mattress of his bed to where the siding ended so that he and Tea had a hiding spot, but with the lights turned off, he was still fairly obvious. Tea was lying on top of him while he was bracing himself on the metal frame. She was thankful that he could not see her face, for she would have a hard time explaining why she had turned bright scarlet without admitting her crush on him. Who would blame a girl for blushing when she was laying on top of the guy she had the hots for and he was shirtless? Not only that, but he was pushing her up so that she was completely sandwiched between him and the bed. Tea settled for burying her face in his chest so that he could not see her, which was making her blush even more and she had a massive smile plastered on her face.

Kaiba watched carefully as he saw Joey's boots appear next to the bed. His heart rate soared when he then saw his knees too. Kaiba screwed his eyes shut. Tea's heart too sped up when she felt his going so fast. She waved to Tristan once again looking for help and he obliged by shining the laser on her hand. Tea had to hold in her sigh of relief when she felt herself and Kaiba turn invisible. Joey's face appeared and he shouted a triumphant 'Ha!' but his smile quickly faded to confusion. Kaiba and Tea both had to suppress a laugh at Joey's stupidity. Joey swung out his hand wildly at the floor beneath them and he narrowly missed clipping Kaiba's back. He pulled back and then stood. Tristan switched off the laser and slipped it back into his pocket while Joey got back to his feet. Joey's eyes were black with rage instead of usual honey selves. Tristan wanted to find out why Mai hadn't explained things the night before.

"You happy now?" jabbed Tristan angrily.

Joey simply snorted before marching back out of the door. "I'll get that bastard later on!" he shouted furiously.

Tristan stopped at the doorframe and watched Joey storm off. He picked up the door and placed it back where it should be, it was going to need a lot of repairs. Walking over to the bed he tapped on the metal siding. "He's gone."

Tristan jumped back in surprise when a pair of bodies collapsed to the ground in a heap. He could have laughed at the sight of Kaiba dazed on the ground with a very giddy Tea on top of him, but he did not want to embarrass Tea in front of their youngest friend. "Did you have to let go so suddenly?" giggled Tea.

"I slipped!" exclaimed Kaiba defensively. "You try keeping two people in place under one of these things."

"I think I'll pass," laughed Tea. She rolled off Kaiba and Tristan helped him to his feet. "How did Joey find out about that if Mai didn't tell him?"

"Tristan, I take it you know," added Kaiba.

Tristan sighed. "Joey was training when he overheard Raphael talking to Pegasus and then Raphael mentioned the fact that he thought you and Mai were seeing each other… Let's just say Joey flew off the handle. I caught him in the corridor and he explained what was wrong. The rest you two know."

"Why didn't Mai explain things? She said she would last night," questioned Tea.

"Mai and Devlin were sent on an assignment after you two headed off last night. They haven't come back. Joey was already worrying about her this morning and then everything just spiralled out of control."

"Devlin better not have abandoned her…" snarled Kaiba.

"Well, if anything happens to her, you gonna join me in tearing up Devlin?" tempted Tristan.

Kaiba smiled. "Of course. Tea?"

"Count me in too. I wouldn't let that slime get away with hurting my best friend," she stated meaningfully.

"Now, I'm going to leave Seto to get dressed in peace. Are you joining me Tea? Or are you going to sit and watch?" teased Tristan.

Tea blushed madly and ran to the light. As soon as it was turned on, she vanished. A clatter at the window gave away that she had left the same way she had entered. Kaiba chuckled at the sudden movement. "Was that really necessary?" he asked dryly.

"I can't resist a good tease, you know that," shrugged Tristan. Both men chuckled. "I'll see you downstairs; just keep an eye out for Joey."

"Will do." Tristan then left Kaiba to it.

Once at the elevator, he was on the receiving end of a fierce kick to the head. After spinning mid-air he collided with the ground hard. "Owww…" he looked around and could not see the aggressor. "Okay, I suppose I deserved that one."

"Damn right you did," spat Tea. She was livid but nobody could take her seriously with the red tinge which lingered on her cheeks.

"I can't help it if you have fallen for Seto, can I? Your eyes were just about popping out of your sockets when you were checking out his chest so I couldn't help myself."

"Grrr…do you know how annoying you can be sometimes?"

"At least I'm not Mai. She would have told Seto you _wanted_ to see him getting dressed." Tristan's face turned thoughtful. "Actually…how often have you watched him?"

Tea went scarlet again. "Um…well…"

Tristan burst out laughing. "Couldn't help yourself, eh? I wonder how he would react to that one?"

"If you so much as hint at it…" hissed Tea angrily, but she knew she was in trouble now.

"Well…I'll keep it a secret…if you admit to him how you feel."

"WHAT? Tristan that is not fair…"

"It's either you do it or Mai and I tell him, your choice; and you know that we'll just add in lots of other juicy details…"

"Okay, okay! I'll tell him…at some point…" Tea made a point of mumbling the last bit. It was at that moment Kaiba just had to join them. He cast a sceptical eye over the scene: Tristan on the floor with the imprint of a heel on his cheek while a rather riled Tea was standing over him.

"I'm not even going to ask."

* * *

Rebecca was surprised to find Kaiba sitting inside the Control Room when she returned after her break, and even stranger, he was doing research. That instantly sent alarm bells ringing. "What are you doing here?" her tone curious.

Kaiba jumped when he heard her. "Jesus Bec, I'm surprised you don't know."

"Oh?"

"Have you not heard Wheeler this morning?"

Rebecca scowled. "You are not using the Control Room as a hiding spot."

"I'm not using it _only _for my personal safety, I'm finishing up the stuff you told me to look at yesterday."

Rebecca gaped. "You are actually looking at that out of choice?"

Kaiba gave her a look. "Of course not, but I have a training session later on."

"Ah…okay, I can understand now. What are you training in?"

"Spiritua Connection."

Rebecca grimaced. "I still don't have that sussed. You are nearly there, aren't you?"

"I don't think I have got anywhere with it, but Pegasus feels otherwise. I really don't see the point of learning it. What is it even used for?"

"Pegasus has never elaborated on it. Guess you'll find out first though."

Kaiba scoffed. "Doubt that."

Rebecca laughed softly. "When is your training session?"

Kaiba glanced at the wall clock. "In 5 minutes, I guess I should get going. I had best not keep Pegasus waiting."

Rebecca smiled. "I know that better than anyone. I used to never go to the training sessions because he scared the hell out of me. It just earned me more classes until I grew out of it."

Kaiba chuckled before standing. He was about to leave when Rebecca called out to him. "By the way, why is Joey hunting you down?"

Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise. "You haven't heard?"

"No."

"I'm surprised the whole Guild doesn't know by now. Let's just say Mai and I had an…encounter yesterday."

"Oh…I take it she moved on you, not the other way round." Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "One, you are rubbish at express your feelings." Kaiba cleared his throat but Rebecca continued regardless. "Two, Mai is Joey's girl and has been for a long time so I don't think you would be low enough to split them up when it is clear they are happy together." Kaiba smiled at that comment. He may not have liked Joey in the slightest, but even he would admit that Joey and Mai were made for each other. "Three, Mai is not your type."

Kaiba flinched in surprise. "Where did that one come from?"

"I know who you have your eye on," winked Rebecca.

Kaiba growled. "I hate that sing-song voice of yours, Rebecca."

"Why don't you tell her?"

"I'll get around to it at some point," retorted Kaiba defensively.

"Do you want me to mention it in passing?" she teased.

"You dare…"

"Okay, I won't, but if you don't tell her, it just proves how rubbish you are at expressing your feelings."

Kaiba shook his head before turning away. "I'll see you later, Rebecca."

"All right Seto, try and not get killed by Joey in the mean time."

Kaiba gave her a small salute which made Rebecca giggle before disappearing from sight.

* * *

Kaiba took his time when he arrived at the Training Arena to take in the surroundings. The landscape was a wasteland at first glance, but he could see some mounds of earth isolating separate locations. Kaiba was puzzled as to why Pegasus would choose this simulation, but he was sure the reason would become apparent soon enough. He recognised the gold uniform and long silver belonging to the King of the Guild nearby. Pegasus turned around to see his pupil entering the Arena.

"Ah, there you are my boy," greeted Pegasus. "Are you ready for this?"

"What exactly am I doing here, Pegasus?" asked Kaiba impatiently while walking towards his mentor. Pegasus Crawford, also known as Archaic, was widely known and considered as the strongest hero in the Guild of Heroes, and potentially the world. Pegasus was known to be picky with those he trained with Terraform and Cyberspace his only protégés in 22 years before Kaiba had been rescued. Pegasus had instantly offered to train him which had surprised many, Terraform most of all. Since then, Kaiba had made considerable progress in rapidly advancing through his training. Pegasus felt a certain responsibility for the blue-eyed teen's suffering, and because of that, felt that he had to somehow make it up to him. There was one thing that Pegasus had discovered in the past 4 months which he had not revealed to any other: Kaiba held a unique and potentially devastating ability that he had never before seen or even heard of. Handling that ability would catapult him into the upper ranks of the heroes and would make him near invincible should it be used correctly. Unlocking it was Pegasus' main aim. Focusing it was his next task for the teen.

This training session was hopefully going to bring fruit to all his labours. "Well, you have two parts to this session. The second I will tell you later, if you finish the first that is." Kaiba raised an eyebrow but then noticed a familiar yellow aura around Pegasus' hands. "Your first task: to survive a five minute fight with me."

Kaiba swiftly backed up. "You've got to be joking…"

"Afraid not Kaiba-boy. The clock on the arena side wall will be your guide, but don't let it blind you. Begin!" Just as Pegasus finished, a lightning bolt shot from his hands and straight towards Kaiba. The teen had thrown himself into a roll milliseconds before the electricity ripped through the air. He tumbled away and threw a lightning bolt of his own which Pegasus simply beat away with his hand. Kaiba growled as another flash of light rushed towards him. A carefully timed backbend allowed him to dodge unharmed. Kaiba released a stream of light which blinded Pegasus but the King of the Guild was not about to leave himself vulnerable. His skin hardened until it became solid rock. Kaiba silently swore when he recognised Terraform's power. He took cover behind a nearby rock and noticed a sword already carefully placed there. Twenty seconds is all he would have before Pegasus would regain his sight so he needed a plan.

_How the hell am I meant to last in this? Pegasus can pick me off in just one attack. I need to catch him off-guard… _Kaiba's sight fell to the sword next him. _Is Pegasus baiting me into attacking him, or is that what it will take for me to succeed? Grrr…What the hell is the point in this? Getting my ass kicked by the King of the Guild doesn't strike me as being very helpful. _Kaiba stole a glance at the clock and saw it read 4:18. He was thrown forward when the rock behind him shattered into a million pieces after being struck by Pegasus' lightning. Kaiba flipped back to his feet and ducked when another bolt whizzed by. While he was down, Kaiba scanned the area for the sword he had seen. His heart sank when he saw it was now about twenty feet away and had plunged into another rock. Another lightning bolt was being prepared and Kaiba knew he was a sitting duck. _Guess it's time to experiment._

Kaiba faced down Pegasus and called upon his light powers. A barrier of light surrounded him as he prepared for the strike. Pegasus smiled slightly before launching, knowing that it would do no damage. Sure enough, the light repelled the lightning and bounced it straight back it the King. Pegasus simply allowed the bolt to impact his hand and absorbed the energy. Kaiba inwardly swore at the display. "Well done, but that trick can only work against lightning. Say I were to assault you with ice next?" taunted Pegasus.

"Shit!" Kaiba dashed away before an icicle rose from beneath him. He dodged as icicle after icicle emerged from the ground, summoned with the purpose of impaling him. Kaiba screamed in pain as one appeared from a nearby rock and plunged into his left arm. He threw a ball of lightning at the ice shard and it shattered instantly. His arm pulsated in agony as blood began to stain the white uniform. Kaiba looked to right and was surprised to see the sword only two metres away. He sprinted towards it and sent forth some lightning in an attempt to free it. The rock was not destroyed in the same way is the previous one, but that was not what Kaiba was aiming to achieve. It was weakened, so he could now easily retrieve the sword. One swift pull and it was free.

Another glance at the clock showed 3:29 remaining. Kaiba spun around to face Pegasus and was stunned to find his mentor already brandishing a blade. Kaiba growled lowly before lunging at him. Pegasus parried the blow easily and neatly side-stepped every one of Kaiba's strikes. The teen was growing more infuriated with each swing of the sword and his concentration soon lapsed. One wild strike was all it took for him to go from being on the offense, to being forced onto the defence. Pegasus plunged the sword into Kaiba's left shoulder and he yelped briefly before being pushed to the floor. Kaiba rolled away as Pegasus thrust the blade towards him and it disappeared into the cold ground. Kaiba landed a kick to Pegasus' head and the older man recoiled slightly from the strike. Kaiba utilized his mastery of electricity and supercharged his sword. After a graceful flip back to his feet he brought the blade upon Pegasus' own and the King's blade shattered into thousands of tiny shards. They would have caused serious damage had Pegasus not been prepared and hardened his skin again so that the metal collided with rock rather than flesh.

Kaiba took cover once again and checked the time. 1:58. _This is ridiculous! How can 5 bloody minutes feel so long! _Unfortunately for him, he was not going to last any longer.

Pegasus laughed cruelly before turning invisible. Kaiba inwardly swore: he didn't know that Pegasus could turn invisible but he should have guessed it. The ground beneath him shook violently and Kaiba tried to flee but lost his footing due to the force of the vibrations. Before he had time to stand he felt a rush of air and screamed as earth constricted around his body. He just managed to look down and saw the Pegasus had summoned a dirt mound to encase him. Kaiba tried to use his electricity to break free but it was simply absorbed by the earth. What little space he had to move was being steadily reduced to the point where he did not have the room to breathe. His head was being crushed to the point where he could not think straight. He had no way of releasing all the pain so all he could do was screw his eyes shut and cry out every time the space reduced. Pegasus inflicted further pain by having Kaiba's bleeding shoulder and arm compressed so severely that Kaiba lost all feeling in both. Screams did nothing for the teen as he was tortured further.

Pegasus looked at the clock and saw that 72 seconds remained. He decided to push Kaiba's mental strength to its limit and released the rock formation, but he held Kaiba in place with his telekinesis. Kaiba's eyes slowly opened to see the smug grin on Pegasus' face. The teen summoned most of his remaining strength into a single lightning bolt and released it from the hand he could still use. It hit its mark and struck Pegasus in the face. The Kind was thrown back but it did not break his concentration: Kaiba was still suspended mid-air. Pegasus growled and pulled Kaiba back to the ground at high speed. The teen howled in agony as his right leg landed on the broken end of Pegasus' sword. He just stole a glance at Pegasus and saw the cruel smile replaced on his face. Kaiba attempted to struggle back to his feet but was thrust into a nearby rock. Ice appeared and locked Kaiba's lower body into place while it froze his extended arms: he was completely helpless. Cloudy sapphire eyes spotted the illuminated numbers to his right and saw 34. _34 seconds left…_

Kaiba then turned back to Pegasus and his face swiftly changed from relief to horror. Pegasus had a large icicle hovering next to him and was twirling it in midair. He spun it, had it zooming around his body, but its purpose was clear. Kaiba glanced nervously at the clock: it showed 19. The sapphires darted back to his mentor and the shard of ice was aimed at his immobilized form. His breathing hitched when it slowly lined up with his stomach. Pegasus' hand was raised and ready to send the ice forth. He could see the fear in Kaiba's eyes, but also deep seated anger. It was bringing back the memories of when he faced Crescent: he was as helpless then to save his little brother then as he was to save himself now. Pegasus smiled as he drove to expose Kaiba's emotions, for those emotions would save him someday, if he learned to use them. Pegasus dropped his hand and the ice rushed forward and drove straight into the teen.

Kaiba did not make a sound as his stomach was punctured. Silent tears escaped his eyes while he began coughing up blood. He could already feel his life starting to slip away and his eyes began to slowly shut. He fought to stay awake, he refused to die here of all situations. He would not let Pegasus win…he wouldn't. He still had to avenge his little brother.

Pegasus watched nervously as the teen struggled for his life while the clock ran down. 4… 3… 2… 1 and finally the session was over. The simulation ended and the rocks swiftly disappeared. Kaiba dropped to his knees and crumpled to the floor in a bloody mess. Pegasus called back the ice and rushed to his pupil's side. A white light surrounded the teen as Pegasus' healing swiftly got to work. It took only seconds for Kaiba to fully heal. Kaiba started to regain his senses slowly and his eyes met with Pegasus' confident ones. Kaiba hissed while sitting up. "What the hell was the point in that?" the teen demanded.

"It takes a lot of mental strength to not welcome death after such a beating," commented Pegasus. "You will face those who will indulge in seeing you suffer and hanging on those extra few seconds may save your life someday."

"If you don't kill me first," Kaiba pointed out. Pegasus chuckled heartily and offered a hand to Kaiba. The latter took it gratefully and steadily climbed back to his feet. "Please tell me that you were joking about a second half to this training session."

"Afraid not Seto, my boy. Though this one will not be so painful, well, physically anyway." Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "You simply have to find me in this next simulation. Nothing more or less, just find me."

"Why do I get the feeling this is anything but simple?" answered Kaiba dryly.

Pegasus chuckled. "This is as difficult as you make it, Seto. This is a battle against your inner demons."

Kaiba rounded on Pegasus. "What?"

Pegasus chuckled and did not elaborate further. "Begin simulation."

The arena suddenly became shrouded in darkness. Kaiba barely had any time to realise the changes before he found that Pegasus had once again disappeared. Kaiba smiled and released a light burst to disperse the shadows. The whole room was illuminated but the teen was shocked when Pegasus did not appear. Kaiba knew that you can only possess invisibility either in light or darkness, not both, so Pegasus' disappearance puzzled him.

"Come on Seto, you surely are not that predictable," taunted Pegasus.

"What? Pegasus, what is the point of all this?" shouted Kaiba out to the room.

Pegasus could be heard laughing cruelly. "Predictability is what got your brother killed. It is what is going to get you killed too."

Kaiba froze at the statement and thus could not dodge the fireball which struck him in the chest. He cried in pain before crashing to the ground on his back. Sapphires were locked open as memories of that tragic day came back to him. Being attacked, watching helplessly on the sidelines as Mokuba's life was drained out of his body and then almost suffering the same fate. He swore that day to avenge his brother and he could not fail now. He couldn't, and he wouldn't. The horrific images spun in his head. His brother's anguished cry, seeing Crescent's hand plunged into Mokuba's chest, Mokuba's terrified look at the moment of his death… "Stop…" he whispered quietly, hoping somehow that the terrible memories would disappear. It was amazing to think that a few words from Pegasus and a fireball were all it took for it all to resurface.

"Will Crescent stop when you face him once again? He will kill you without a second thought. You probably won't even make it to facing him. You are too weak to succeed at anything…"

Pegasus' voice was echoing through Kaiba's head. He clutched his forehead in pain while Pegasus' words seemed to haunt him entirely. _You are too weak… Predictability is what got your brother killed…He will kill you without a second thought…You probably won't even make it to facing him…_

It was then that Pegasus moved in for the kill. "After all, you let your baby brother down. You let him die. You watched as his life was sucked out of him when you could have fought harder.

"It's your fault your brother is dead!"

Something inside Kaiba snapped at Pegasus' declaration. An uncontrollable rage surged through his body and he felt his powers grow in strength beyond anything he had ever felt before. Kaiba lashed out, sending forth bolts of lightning to random points. The lightning forked out and even the air itself reacted with it becoming supercharged. Scorches littered the walls and floor while the darkness was being pierced by the bursts of electricity. Kaiba collapsed to his knees after a dozen strikes and panted. His body was convulsing with energy and waves of electricity were visible about his person. The rage within was bubbling over yet again and desperately needed releasing. Kaiba had buried all his anger and guilt over the previous six months and it was time for it to be confronted.

A primal shout erupted from Kaiba as he released a shockwave throughout the whole room. The air itself was electrified and whole area heated rapidly from the continuous burst of electricity: so much so that the walls and ceiling were becoming deformed or melting if they had already been struck by Kaiba's lightning. Kaiba's body tensed up completely as the electricity continued to emerge in alarming amounts. The teen managed to bring himself back under control after an seven agonising minutes of release. He stumbled forward and just stopped his tired body from crumpling to the floor in exhaustion. Despite the tension and fatigue his body was suffering from, Kaiba's mind had never been clearer. In fact, it was so clear, he was beginning to see new things. _There weren't any objects in this room before, I saw that when I lit up the room. Am I simply seeing things?_

Logic would have dictated that he was, but he somehow knew he wasn't. What he was seeing was really there, so how could he not have seen it all before? His eyes scanned the landscape and through the darkness he could see auras of different colours and shapes. _What is all this? I've never seen anything like it: it looks like something out of a dream world. Have I passed into unconsciousness without realising it? No, I can still feel my body aching, though it is not nearly as overpowering as it previously was. Then what is this? _Kaiba's thoughts froze when he saw an aura and instantly recognised the shape as Pegasus. Kaiba summoned all of his remaining strength and poured all the belief he could into it. _Please let this strike him…this has to be it!_

A stream of fire erupted from Kaiba's hand, shocking the teen, and was soon stopped in its tracks. Kaiba could just make out Pegasus' outstretched hand, and slowly his whole body came into focus. The teen collapsed to his knees having expended almost all of his energy. Pegasus eventually came back into sight fully and crouched next to his pupil. "How?" gasped Kaiba.

"How what?" inquired Pegasus.

"How did my shockwave not hit you, but that did? Since when could I use fire?"

"You may not have a mastery of fire, but I do. You mastered the ultimate skill." Kaiba's eyes lifted from the floor and met Pegasus. "You just mastered Spiritua Connection."

"Wha…What?"

Pegasus chuckled softly. "The Spiritua Connection is the ability to harness the powers of others nearby, even if they are hidden from sight. It allows you to channel their powers temporarily and use them for whatever purpose you choose. The only problem is you can only connect to those who you have some form of connection to previously, be it a friendship or something stronger. I should add that you can only utilise positive emotions, it won't work for someone you hate."

"So…those auras I saw?"

"Ah, that is the second ability of Spiritua Connection, seeing objects which do not reside on our plane of existence, and hovering between another plane and our own."

"Wait…" Kaiba thought about what Pegasus had just said, and the King of the Guild could see his pupil putting all the pieces together. "You were out of phase, that is why my shockwave did not hit you, but I then onto crossed the plane you were on. That is why I could then hit you. I channelled your powers and used them against you."

Pegasus smiled broadly. "You truly understand it, I am amazed."

Kaiba chuckled. "That is one hell of a power."

"It is, and you are the only other person in the Guild to know it. No-one else is even close to mastering it." Pegasus leant in so that he was level with Kaiba's ear, but even then, the teen could barely hear his whisper. "But this power pales in comparison with your true power, Seto. You have an ability I have never seen before and, as far as I can tell, the world has ever seen before. Once you master that, you will be unstoppable. I may be the known as the most powerful hero in the world for now, but once your day comes, my name will forgotten, and yours will be the one which every hero in the world will know. Everyone will know, fear and respect the new King: Blue-Eyes…"

Kaiba was frozen. That was the last thing he had expected to hear.

Pegasus pulled back and smiled before standing. "You had best head back before everyone wonders if I put you back into the Infirmary," stated Pegasus dryly. Kaiba chuckled, still slightly in shock. Pegasus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Your time will come, and when it does, Crescent will be begging for his death before the end. You will avenge your brother: that I know for certain." Kaiba smiled. "I will see you later, Seto."

Kaiba stayed kneeling on the floor even after Pegasus had left and the simulation ended. He was appreciating the peace and quiet for clearing his head. Little did he know, he would value that peace even more come later in the day.

* * *

Tristan and Tea were joking away in the Central Plaza when the caught sight of a familiar trail of white. "Seto!" shouted Tea. Her heart fluttered when he smiled and then joined them, but she couldn't help but gasp at seeing his uniform in tatters and blood spatters dotting what remained. "What the hell happened to you?" she cried worriedly.

Kaiba sighed as he took a seat. "Pegasus decided to give me a torture session," he answered dryly.

"Is he really that harsh?" asked Tristan sceptically. Kaiba simply raised an eyebrow and looked down at his ruined uniform. "Point taken."

"Are you all right?" pressed Tea.

"I'm fine. In fact, I actually feel better than I have at any point since I got here. Pegasus helped me face some inner demons."

"Well, at least you are okay," she smiled at him.

"Has Mai still not come back?" inquired Kaiba worriedly.

"Nope, she's not here and Joey's been getting worse by the hour. If she doesn't come back soon I think-"

"KAIBA!"

All three jumped at the ferocious outburst but did not need to look towards its source: Joey. Tea swiftly grabbed Kaiba's arm and turned him invisible just as Joey marched over to where they had been sitting. "GET BACK HERE, YOU BASTARD!" Joey bellowed.

"Joey, calm it!" chided Tristan. He could feel Tea and Kaiba behind him.

"I am going to get that son of a bitch back Tristan, and don't you think you are gonna stop me!" the blonde snarled.

"Well, I have a suggestion." Tristan rounded surprised as Kaiba broke free of Tea's grasp, thus turning him visible once again. Joey swung out wildly at him and Kaiba simply side-stepped his punch, spinning into a kick. Joey was sent flying and collided face first with a wall. Tristan and Tea laughed quietly before Kaiba continued. "If you are really that desperate to take a swing at me, let's make it a proper fight."

Joey stood up again, but kept his distance: his interest piqued. "Are you seriously suggesting we take this to the Battle Dome?"

"Sure, if I'm going to kick your ass it might as well be where a crowd can see it happening, Wheeler," jibed Kaiba. Tristan and Tea burst out laughing once again, ticking off Joey. They were supposed to be his friends more than Kaiba's.

"Like that will happen! Fine, half an hour and we fight!" he snarled, confident that Kaiba would back down.

"Done." Joey pulled back slightly surprised. "Shocked? You shouldn't be, unlike you, I have the balls to back up what I say."

"Shut it you! Gah, doesn't matter, in half an hour I'll be shutting you up myself, and then you'll know the true meaning of respect!" Joey then stormed off to prepare.

Tristan and Tea nervously walked up to Kaiba. "Seto, was that really wise?"

Kaiba smiled confidently. "Trust me, after this morning's training, I won't lose."

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 3 should hopefully be coming up soon. In the meantime, check out my other works on my profile.

See you later folks!


	3. Resolution

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its affiliated characters.

I'm pleased with the reaction to this story but could I please get some more reviews? I'm beginning to get slightly upset with the number of people I can see are reading, but are not leaving me any feedback. Even a one word review will do! Or even just 'it's crap', I'll take anything!

Anyhow, I take it you all want to find out what's going to happen between Joey and Kaiba? That will be resolved here, but I'm sad to report that Yami won't be entering the picture for another little while yet.

**Don't forget to check out my other works!**

**I have also started a new poll on my profile page as to what should be my next work! Please vote on it!**

On with Chapter 3!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Resolution**

All the heroes of the Guild were buzzing with excitement. The news of a new fight in the Battle Dome had spread like wildfire, but when word got out of who the competitors were, the anticipation had kicked up a few notches. Fights were not that frequent and it was a rarity to find them becoming official so that an audience could be present to witness it; which is why this fight was sure to be watched by almost every hero in the Guild. It wasn't every day that two of the best known and strongest heroes decided to settle a score.

The first competitor was the infamous Skylark aka Joey Wheeler. Known for his short temper and ruthlessness in combat, it had earned him the nickname of "The Ravager of the Skies". His most famous move was the "Aerial Ripper", a tornado which could destroy everything within should he wish it; a move which many people suspected would feature today. Joey was a regular of the Battle Dome and had obliterated every opponent he had faced, so it came as a great shock to many to learn that he had been requested there rather than issuing the challenge.

His opponent was Blue-Eyes aka Seto Kaiba. He had made friends and enemies in his short time at the Guild but all knew of his fearsome power. His unofficial nickname was whispered among many of the newer heroes and a few of the veterans but it was not known by the teen. If it had been, he might have realised what respect others held for him. You don't just find yourself handed the nickname "The Future King" without good reason.

"The Ravager of the Skies" versus "The Future King". Who wouldn't go to a fight when the competitors were known as such?

* * *

Tea and Tristan were both in the front of the spectator stands of the Dome, waiting nervously. Kaiba and Joey were both friends but who did they want to win more? Joey had been their long time friend and was Tristan's best friend so by all rights they should support him. Kaiba on the other hand they had only known for months, but, from meeting him, they had seen a darker side of Joey that they had not known to be there before. Since then, they could honestly say that they valued Kaiba as a greater friend than Joey. Maybe giving Joey an ass kicking would snap him back into reality and open his eyes to who Kaiba really was.

They could only watch and hope.

The duo were stunned to see a familiar mound of blonde hair making their way towards them. "Hey guys!"

"Mai! Where the _hell _have you been?" snapped Tristan unintentionally.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" she responded, rather confused at the reception she was getting.

"Mai, why didn't you explain to Joey last night what happened between you and Seto?" probed Tea. Mai detected the hint of worry in her voice.

"I didn't anticipate being gone this long. Why? What did I miss?"

Tristan sighed. "Joey found out about this morning and flew off the handle. He threw me through Seto's door this morning and it took the combined effort of Tea and I to get him out of trouble. Then, half an hour ago, Joey found him again, took a swing and missed; then Seto challenged him to a fight in the Battle Dome. So here we are."

Mai's eyes widened. "I realised that Joey was involved which is why I came, but I didn't realise it was Seto he was fighting!"

Tea raised an eyebrow. "How did you know it was Joey but not Seto?"

Mai beckoned the other two to come closer. "I recognised Joey's nickname when everyone was talking about it. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who "The Ravager of the Skies" is."

"And Seto?"

Mai looked around before answering. "I didn't realise it was him because I've never heard him being addressed as "The Future King" before."

Both Tristan's and Tea's eyes widened. "Since when is he known as "The Future King"?"

"I dunno, but that's what I heard: "The Ravager of the Skies" versus "The Future King". I thought maybe Joey was facing Raphael or something."

"That's logical seeing as Raphael is going to take over as King of the Guild when Pegasus steps down."

"This is great discussion for later on," begun Tristan as the crowd suddenly roared in appreciation, "but I think we should concentrate on the fight. I dunno about you two but I'm going to be supporting Seto."

"That goes for me too. What about you Mai?"

Mai looked at the two before flashing a sad smile. "I got him into this mess; I might as well lend him a hand until he gets out of it."

Tea and Tristan both smiled back as another roar erupted throughout the stadium. All three turned their gaze to the floor and saw Joey working the crowd, drumming up support. Silence quickly descended when Kaiba walked in from the opposite entrance to Joey and sized him up. Joey smirked as he knew Kaiba had made a mistake in challenging him: the Battle Dome was his playground. "Who wants to see Blue-Eyes get ripped apart piece by tiny piece?" he called, appreciating the thunderous response. Mai, Tristan and Tea shot daggers at Duke when he cheered Joey on.

Kaiba laughed to himself before answering the call with one of his own. "Who is ready to watch Skylark get a taste of his own ruthless medicine?" Kaiba smiled triumphantly at the explosion of noise and smirked when he saw the scowl on Joey's face. It was clear from the cheering that Kaiba had much more of the spectators on his side.

Joey's amber eyes turned black with rage when he saw Tristan, Tea, and worst all Mai, on Kaiba's side. The blonde roared in fury and spread his midnight blue wings to their full span: a massive 18 feet from tip to tip and shot daggers at Kaiba. "I swear I will enjoy breaking your body apart and watching it be reattached later limb by limb. This is what you get for trying to steal my girl!"

Kaiba's own eyes narrowed and locked on Joey. A stream of electricity burst into life between his hands as he braced himself for the fight which was about to begin. "I would like to see you try and bring me down, Wheeler. I'll enjoy watching you crawl away at the end of this and lick your wounds!"

The tension in the air increased tenfold when the spectators saw that this fight was not going to be the usual. Oh no, this fight was going to be dangerous and potentially lethal for one competitor. They could only watch as a midnight blue streak rushed into the air and dived straight towards a bolt of electricity.

* * *

Rebecca entered the viewing deck of the Battle Dome and was surprised to see Raphael already there in preparation for the upcoming fight. "Since when did you take interest in the petty squabbles of other heroes, Raphael?" she inquired curiously.

"Since when was there a real chance that one of the competitors could lose their life within the Guild itself?" he replied dryly.

"What? Who is fighting that things could escalate to that?"

"Who do you think it is before I am here?"

"Well I don't-" Rebecca stopped and thought about it for a second. "Oh shit, Joey and Seto…"

"You hit the nail on the head."

"Are you watching because you are curious as to what Pegasus sees in Seto that makes him worthy of his training?"

"Damn right."

Rebecca sighed irritably. "You really don't like Seto much, do you?"

"Why should I? He has no respect for those who outrank him, he slacks off-"

"How much of this have you seen and how much of this have you heard from the bird-brain?"

Raphael glared at Rebecca. It wasn't often she would dare insult one of his former students. "I happen to trust Joey's judgement better than most."

Rebecca threw her hands in the air and spun angrily. "Have you not asked Tristan?"

"Tristan's view is biased."

"Oh and Joey's isn't? Joey despises Seto with a passion and he has since he entered the Guild six months ago. Why trust what he says?"

"Because I trust Joey to base his opinions of other upon facts an-"

"Well you don't know Joey at all then! He has to be the most judgemental hero there is! Apart from maybe Gamble…"

"Be careful Rebecca. Just because we are long time friends does not mean I will not use force on you."

Rebecca scoffed. "I'd like to see you try and lay a hand on me." With that, Rebecca's body dematerialised so that she was simply a being made entirely of electricity. Raphael sighed. He had not realised her powers had advanced so much. "Just because I haven't been out in the field before doesn't mean I don't know how to defend myself."

"Children, enough…" Rebecca and Raphael turned towards the remark and saw Pegasus standing in the doorway with a stern look. They both stood down instantly. "That is better. Now, don't we have a fight to watch?" Pegasus sauntered over to the edge of the balcony and saw Joey and Kaiba about to begin

"You sound quite happy, Pegasus. Are you that sure of your student defeating mine?"

"Oh quite. Not only will he defeat Joey, he will humiliate him," responded Pegasus happily.

"What makes you say that?" asked Rebecca curiously.

Pegasus flashed her a smile before turning his attention back to the fight about to proceed below. "Seto has just mastered the Spiritua Connection. With that weapon in his arsenal, he cannot lose."

* * *

With one powerful beat of his wings Joey was in the air and then spiralled back down to the ground, aiming straight for Kaiba. He was barely visible at the speed he was moving: in fact, he was moving at supersonic speed. The midnight blue wings flapped furiously as he closed in on his target, but he was caught off guard when a bolt of lightning came rushing towards him. Joey spun away and allowed the bolt to zoom past before turning his gaze back to the teen below. _Lucky shot, _he thought as he watched Kaiba carefully. He was genuinely surprised that Kaiba had seen him coming. The earthbound hero was smirking up at Joey, determined to enjoy this. "Is all you have, Wheeler? This is going to be easier than I thought."

Joey's eyes flashed dangerously before he calmed down, thinking that he had an advantage. "You can't even touch me, Kaiba. And now…I'm going to rip your body apart. One inch at a time…" Joey raised his hands and a tornado started building around Kaiba.

"Seto, get out of the way!" yelled Tea desperately. Kaiba did not even acknowledge that he had heard her as he wondered what Joey was up to. "Seto, it's "Aerial Ripper"! You have to get out of there right now!"

Kaiba's eyes widened in realisation as Joey smiled cruelly. "Dodge this, Kaiba!" Joey clasped his hands together and the swirling winds combined into a devastating vortex. The spectators had to brace themselves or risk being pulled in, such was its force. Tea, Tristan and Mai looked on horrified: they had never seen Joey release such a powerful attack on anyone. Tea scrunched her eyes shut as Mai pulled her into a protective embrace. All they could do was hope that Kaiba would somehow survive.

Kaiba was thanking Pegasus endlessly for that morning's training session, for had he not learned Spiritua Connection, he would be nearly dead at this moment. He ducked and elegantly dodged every stream of air that came towards him and could not help but admire the power of Joey's attack. Though he may despise Joey with all his being, he had to admit that he certainly was powerful. Now Kaiba also had an explanation as to Tristan's incredibly fast reactions having tapped into his power. He could now see everything at roughly a tenth of its true speed, so dodging the streams of air was at least a realistic possibility. Though having never given it much thought, he had never seen Tristan come back with even so much as a scratch, no matter the ferocity of a battle: it was no wonder when he could see every attack coming.

Kaiba slid along the ground to avoid another stream of air and he had to brace himself as the vortex picked up in speed. _I need to get out of here before this thing gets any stronger: Tristan's power won't be able to help me against a vortex trying to pull me in. _As several streams headed toward his stationary form, Kaiba had to quickly evade them. A single push up from the ground sent him airborne to dodge the stream which was tearing up the ground it touched while a carefully timed bend allowed him to skim past the higher. Using the hand he landed on, he propelled himself forward through a barrage of air bursts before they surrounded him. One managed to clip his right leg and as he returned to his feet, he could feel his right leg unwilling to take his full weight. _If that's what one of these streams does then I need to escape before I become ribbons._

Kaiba summoned a small ball of electricity and threw it at one of the walls of the vortex. A small gap opened for a split second and then closed again. He focused harder on Tristan's power and just hoped that it would allow him to perceive things even faster. Another blast ripped through the air and revealed the outside world and this time, Kaiba counted it stayed open for about a second. He growled inwardly: it wasn't much time but it would have to do since he could focus Tristan's powers any further. Kaiba pulled back his hand and charged up one strike as much as he could physically manage. His arm started shaking from the strain but he continued the build-up, ignoring the searing pain it was generating. After an agonising half minute of build up and being struck in the back by several streams of air, he finally launched and ran behind it. With Tristan's supersonic speed running he could position himself perfectly for when the opening appeared. The flash of light appeared and Kaiba threw himself through the gap, being slashed at by the fast moving air before crashing painfully on the floor of the Battle Dome.

His eyes took a couple of seconds to adjust to the light while he acquainted himself with all the new pains throughout his body, but the roar of the crowd brought back him back to his senses quickly: the crowd would surely have alerted Joey to the fact that his attack had failed. Kaiba flipped back to his feet and decided to switch powers. He thought about who to channel and decided he was going to be cruel to Joey: he always hated fighting Tea since he could never see his opponent, so why not take a page out of her book? _I am going to enjoy watching Wheeler's face here._

Mai started laughing happily as she saw the familiar white uniform appear on the floor of the Dome. "Looks like Joey's got his work cut out for him!" she cheered.

Tea chanced looking toward the fight and saw Kaiba on his feet having avoided the devastating attack. He was now crouching on the floor as so not to be sucked back inside the vortex. She sighed in relief before shouting her encouragement. "Seto, take him down!"

Tristan smiled but was puzzled as to how Kaiba had escaped, let alone with so few injuries. Streaks of red were visible across the usually pristine white surface of his uniform: three angry and fairly think lines were on his back, two thinner ones could be seen on his left arm, one large one was on his right thigh and the most serious one was across his chest, but none were life-threatening. He felt he should shout on some words of advice, seeing nobody knew Joey better than he did. "Hey Seto, keep it up! The more you rile Joey, the less effective his attacks become!"

Joey was stunned at the calls and dissipated the storm, shocked to the core to see Kaiba standing there smugly with his arms folded and an air of arrogance. He growled and flapped his wings violently, sending an air current at Kaiba, but the teen simply leant to the side: allowing the burst of air to go whizzing by. Joey hissed in anger as Kaiba laughed triumphantly. "If you can't hit me while I'm just standing here…" started Kaiba confidently, earning a furious glare from Joey along with another beat of his wings. Kaiba bent backwards and twisted to his side so that he was still facing Joey calmly while neatly avoiding his outburst. Joey shouted in frustration and was about to release another onslaught as Kaiba finished his sentence. "How are you going to strike me when I do this?"

Joey had to look twice before he realised that Kaiba had disappeared. "What the hell?" he exclaimed in anger, as well as surprise. Whispers broke out through the crowd as they wondered what had happened. Joey spun in midair and scanned the whole of the Battle Dome for any sign of Kaiba. _Has that bastard chickened? _Joey got his answer soon enough when a bolt of lightning hit his right wing and it sent him into a nose dive. He snapped out of his dazed state just before plummeting into the ground and fanned his wings so that he skimmed the ground. He flew along the smooth floor and searched for any sign of where Kaiba was but soon felt a foot connecting with his face. Joey was spun in midair before he crashed to the ground in a mess of limbs and wings. Joey retracted the midnight blue extensions to allow them to recover from their beating, but that left him vulnerable to the invisible Kaiba on the ground.

Joey stood but once again felt a foot connect with his face and was sent tumbling away. The roar of the crowd increased at seeing Joey losing for once. Mai could not help but feel a little guilty for not supporting her boyfriend in this situation but knew he was in the wrong here so should support Kaiba. As Joey continued to be thrown about like a rag doll by the younger competitor, Mai could not help but laugh softly. She was appreciative of Joey's possessiveness, but at the same time, this had been a perfect way to get his head on straight regarding Kaiba. She just hoped that once this was all over that the five of them could get on happily. A quick glance at Tea showed that the younger woman was thinking the exact same thing and Mai guessed that it was lingering somewhere in Tristan's mind too.

"Joey! Grab the swords!" Mai shot a murderous glare at Duke for interfering while Tea and Tristan did the same. Joey took his advice and saw two swords being thrown into the Dome. He ran towards them and grasped both firmly in his hands. He smirked when no further attacks came. Kaiba had stood back, making sure that he was out of the reach of both blades while building a stream of electricity between his hands. Joey stepped forward confidently and slashed at the slightest of movements around him, but doing so left him vulnerable. Kaiba launched his bolt of lightning and it struck Joey in the base of his back. The blonde screamed in pain and crumpled to his knees. His lower body was temporarily paralysed: he was a sitting duck.

Joey caught sight of a white streak about ten feet left of him and threw both swords towards it. He could not help but gasp as one sword was caught and the other was spun back towards him at twice the speed. Joey just managed to duck and avoid being stabbed, but now he was in an even worse situation. His legs were paralysed, his wings were still recovering and now he had no sword to defend himself; meanwhile, Kaiba was invisible and wielding a sword while still able to launch an attack on without Joey able to dodge. Joey started sweating furiously and willed his legs to snap out of their frozen state.

Kaiba kept closing in warily just in case Joey had a trick up his sleeve. He inwardly swore when Joey suddenly pushed up from his knees and slid over to take up stance with the second sword. Joey then released a stream of air that captured everything on the floor of the Battle Dome and gave away Kaiba's position. Though he may be invisible, the air was still bouncing off of him and showing him up as an obstruction. Joey charged forward, poised to cut down the teen but Kaiba revealed himself and concentrated all his efforts on the blonde. Kaiba parried away all of Joey's strikes but was caught off-guard when Joey kicked away his ankles. The brunette collided with the ground hard on his back and had to roll away to avoid the silver implement towards him. Instead of the sickening sound of pierced flesh, Joey was displeased to hear and feel the sword bouncing off the Dome floor, but that was not where his attention should have been focused. As Kaiba had been rolling away, he had used one of his hands to push up into a spinning mid-air kick, which connected with Joey's neck. The blonde head snapped around painfully as he was sent to the ground; such was the force of the kick. Kaiba, meanwhile, had landed gracefully on his feet and seized his opportunity to throw another orb of electricity at Joey. The blonde could only brace himself for the attack, but sent a wave of air towards Kaiba at the same time. Both crashed to the ground once again and were both breathless, but Kaiba was in far better shape. He managed to stand again almost immediately while Joey stayed on the ground; baiting Kaiba into coming too close.

As Joey heard the clink of Kaiba's boots he threw open his wings once again, having now finally recovered. Kaiba was surprised by the sudden move and was thrown against a nearby wall. The impact left him temporarily dazed as Joey rose back into the air: preparing his new attack.

"Kaiba…" he started smugly; watching the teen struggling into a sitting position, "I was saving this for a villain in Domino, but I think you have earned the right to witness this attack in all its glory. Prepare yourself, for "Horizon Collision"!"

Kaiba opened his eyes to see Joey rising into the air and saw a barrier of air forming about ten feet above him. The ferocity was unmistakeable, as was its intention: to envelop the whole Battle Dome floor. Kaiba quickly tapped into the Spiritua Connection and hoped it would take hold quickly as he was sure he did want to experience this storm's force first-hand.

Joey poured much of his strength into the storm: so much that it could kill any being within. He laughed maniacally and prepared to send it forth, but decided to let Kaiba know what agony he was about to go through. A small vortex descended from the impassable wall of air and met the ground, but the effects were devastating. The floor splintered into minute pieces, and they were thrust in all directions. Kaiba just had time to duck and avoid having several dozen shards embedded within his chest before they whizzed by, and then shattered completely when colliding with the wall behind.

Kaiba's eyes widened in shock while the spectators looked on in horror, all coming to the same conclusion: this attack was designed to kill and was almost impossible to avoid. Mai gripped the metal handrail tightly and it threatened to break under the pressure of her newly released claws; Tristan was growling at Joey's stupidity and swearing furiously, while Tea was hyperventilating in worry. Kaiba turned towards them all and found each of their reaction curious for different reasons. _Tristan is really not helping with all that shouting; it's going to give me a headache before he even punctures Wheeler's skull. Tea looks like she'll collapse any minute. Is she really that concerned for me? Is it because it's me, or is it because Joey might kill someone? I hope it's more for my sake rather the other option. _Kaiba's eyes met Mai just as her claws broke through the handrail. _Wait a minute…Mai has quite a few powers, one of which is wing propelled flight! That could be the answer to getting out of this! _Kaiba turned back and watched as the points of several more vortexes appeared: ready to descend. _I just hope this works… _Kaiba closed his eyes and worked on building a Connection between himself and Mai.

Joey chuckled at Kaiba's motionless form and left the teen with some final words before launching, what he thought was, the final attack. "I will see you again in the next life, Blue-Eyes!"

Tea screamed Kaiba's name as he disappeared from sight due to the storm and couldn't help the tears from escaping freely. Tristan screwed his eyes shut and turned away in disgust while Mai lost what little self-control she had left. "Joey, you bastard! What have you just done?" she screamed at his furiously. Joey looked at her hurt and then turned away triumphantly. Around the stadium, people started screaming and gasping when the Battle Dome floor was completely destroyed and all that was left was a mass of rubble. They all presumed that the remains of Kaiba were buried.

None of them could see the small sphere of light which stood up to the force of the attack.

"You are going to be seeing me again much soon than that Wheeler!"

Joey's mouth hung open in shock at the voice and he looked around frantically for the source, but it was a needless search for Kaiba was about to make a spectacular return. A flash of light punctured through the top layer of the storm and stopped twenty feet away from Joey, perfectly suspended in mid-air. The light dissipated to reveal a beautiful pairs of scaled pale blue wings encased around a stationary form. Joey flew back slightly when the wings unfurled to reveal Kaiba, the brunette with a smug grin plastered on his face. "You honestly didn't think that little power display was going to take me down, did you bird-brain?" he sneered.

Joey growled as cheers erupted all around him. It was clear from the noise level that the crowd were now firmly on Kaiba's side, with Joey's display of ruthlessness and willingness to kill having worked against him. His temper sparked when he saw Tea having collapsed in relief, Tristan cheering loudly and Mai laughing triumphantly. "Since when can you fly?" he demanded angrily.

Kaiba laughed before answering. "Mai was right, I really do owe her, especially for this one."

"What the hell does that mean? Did she give you her power or something?"

"Not quite, but that is the least of your worried right now, Wheeler. My next task is to finish you!"

"Take your best shot you bastard! I won't lose to you!"

Joey beat his wings fiercely and sent an air current towards Kaiba, but he found it easy to evade. Kaiba's new wings seemed to be much more powerful than Joey's own for when Kaiba beat his own, Joey did not even have time to dodge before he was struck. He plummeted but just managed to stop his spiral before meeting his own storm. With a furious growl, he recalled the storm and poured all of his energy into one last outburst.

A sphere of air surrounded the blonde as he dredged out every last ounce of energy from his body to pour into one final assault. Kaiba pulled back and allowed his electricity to consume his body, and the power built dramatically. As Kaiba's body started to shake under the strain of the energy he thought back to the training of the morning and willed the same strength to return to him. It did so, and then some. Kaiba's body felt weightless as it absorbed as much charge as humanly possible, but the build-up continued. The brunette felt like laughing for never had he been able to handle such an amount of power before, and he knew it would be enough to defeat Joey.

Joey let out a furious shout as his final burst raced towards Kaiba, but the latter was more than ready. He sent forth his own attack and they collided mid-distance; creating shockwaves which ricocheted throughout the whole area. Everyone had to brace themselves as they continued and held onto anything they could physically grab, be that a chair, handrail or another hero. Tea was gripping Tristan tightly while Mai had sent her claw into the ground as an anchor. She grabbed onto the other two in an attempt to steady them while Joey and Kaiba continued their struggle for dominance. At first, the two seemed evenly matched, but that was not going to last.

Kaiba felt another surge of energy and forced the attack on. It slowly inched towards Joey and the blonde could do nothing more. He watched in horror as the power finally built to a critical point and the blasts both exploded.

A flash of intense light blinded all for a second or two before their sight returned. The first thing the crowd saw shocked them. Joey had plummeted to the ground level and was splayed across the rubble of the Battle Dome floor. His uniform was in tatters while his wings were completely limp and bent into horrible contortions.

All were snapped out of their shocked states when a flash of white flew towards the ground and landed gracefully. Kaiba's wings dematerialised into tiny orbs of light and rose into the air while he stayed in his crouched position. His head slowly rose and he opened his sapphire eyes to see the result of the battle. A quick look to his right gave him his answer: he was the victor.

The teen stood proudly and raised his arm in triumph; much to the pleasure of the crowd. They roared their appreciation as Kaiba's gaze met with that of his friends. All three were smiling happily and rushed down from the spectator stands to await his exit.

Kaiba could not help feel a swell of joy at seeing their reactions to the result and turned his eyes towards the VIP balcony. He was sure that Pegasus would have witnessed the whole event. _I hope that I lived up to your expectations of that fight. If it weren't for the Spiritua Connection, I would surely have died. _

_Thank you, Pegasus._

* * *

Rebecca beamed in joy while Raphael looked on in total shock. Never in his wildest dreams would have thought Joey would lose to Kaiba, let alone in such spectacular fashion. Pegasus meanwhile was simply standing with a neutral expression, watching his pupil revelling in victory. Only when Kaiba turned towards their vantage point did he crack a small smile. _You truly are one of a kind. I hope I live to see the day when you realise your full potential, and your dreams…_

Pegasus turned to leave but was called upon by Raphael. "Where are you going?"

Pegasus simply smiled at him. "I take it you want me to heal Joey before he dies?" Raphael simply snorted and allowed Pegasus to continue on his way. Rebecca sat back and smirked while Raphael muttered various curses under his breath.

"Raphael, he trained you and I, you know how great a teacher Pegasus is," said Rebecca calmly. She could see Raphael relaxing slightly as he finally sank into a nearby chair.

"I know that, yes. Still…it is difficult to admit that he can still teach me more after all these years of having my independence," admitted Raphael.

"I don't think we'll ever learn everything that man knows. All we can do is do our best to establish ourselves as who we are, rather than simply being known for our ties to Pegasus. And today…" Rebecca turned her gaze down to the Battle Dome floor and smiled affectionately.

"Today, I think that Seto has done just that. He has proved he is more than just the protégé of the King of the Guild: he is someone to be feared and respected. I just hope his new-found fame does not result in his demise."

* * *

Kaiba strode over to the exit of the Battle Dome and saw Pegasus entering. The older man did not even look at the teen as he spoke "Not bad, Kaiba-boy," he teased.

Kaiba snorted as he walked past and ignored Pegasus, just as he was being ignored. "That was nothing compared to what I can really do," he said arrogantly.

Pegasus could not help but stop and smile at the proud teen as he walked away triumphantly. _You don't know how true that is…_ "So I take you don't want any help with those injuries?"

Kaiba too stopped and smirked back at his teacher. "I don't think so. These scars I can wear with pride, and I want to. I want the whole world to see that I defeated "The Ravager of the Skies" and came away with only a few scratches while he was in need of life-saving treatment. I want everyone to see that I mean to complete the tasks I have set myself." The arrogant tone was now replaced by one of vulnerability and determination that only Pegasus had truly witnessed. "I want Crescent to catch wind of what has occurred here today, and I want him to prepare for the fight of his life. I want to send fear into his heart and send a chill into his very bones. I _want _him to fear _me._"

Pegasus smiled proudly. "Believe me, Seto. No-one would dare doubt your power after your display today. When you face Crescent, he will know he is in for a fight to the death and he will know it could well be his own."

Kaiba smiled earnestly while the older man could feel a swell of pride within his chest. Pegasus appreciated that Kaiba was willing to open up and let him help with all of his issues: emotional and physical. The King could see that the teen respected him greatly, and that Kaiba was appreciative of being respected by Pegasus. The two may not quite have a friendship per-se, but they had an understanding.

Pegasus bowed his head to Kaiba and the younger man replied with the same gesture before they parted ways.

Kaiba had barely emerged from the exit when he saw a brown mass of hair tackle him. Tea busied herself with burying her tear stricken face into Kaiba's chest while he soothingly stroked her hair. He left a feather light kiss upon her head and she pulled back to see his sapphires twinkling back at her. She felt he insides melt and finally gave into her desires.

Kaiba barely realised what was going on before he felt Tea's lips upon his own and her arms wrapped around his neck. Pleasurable shivers trickled down his spine and he relaxed into the kiss, allowing Tea entrance to his mouth when she demanded it. He just managed to put up a resistance against the intrusion and battled her for dominance of the kiss, unaware of the spectators nearby with matching Cheshire cat grins.

Only when the need for air became overpowering did Kaiba and Tea part. Both had thoughts spinning through their heads but they differed quite significantly. While Tea thought she had found heaven on earth, Kaiba's thoughts were conflicting. Though he had never experienced anything so soul-lifting or relaxing, something just wasn't…wasn't…right. Something was missing from it all. It was missing that certain something that made it electric.

"So I take you two have finally stopped denying your feelings for one another?" teased Mai. She was leaning quite happily on Tristan's shoulder while he was propped up on a nearby wall.

"Erm…" Tea blushed beet red when she spun to see that the kiss had been seen while Kaiba simply shook his head and chuckled.

"Trust you two to watch," he stated dryly.

Tristan just shrugged before adding to the conversation. "We've been fed up of you two avoiding confessing while we were there, so we've grown quite good at sneaking around. Just as good as you are, right Tea?"

"YOU SWORE YOU WOULD KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF!" Tea charged down Tristan who quickly dashed away. Tea had turned invisible and taken chase, but without supersonic running, she had no chance of catching him.

Mai and Kaiba looked at each other amusedly before walking after them. "How did I end up friends with you three?" he asked rhetorically, but Mai felt like answering it anyway.

"I'll tell you how: either it was bad luck on your part, or fate. You choose which."

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!

I hope to update soon but no promises.


	4. Alliance of Villainy

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its affiliated characters.

I am finally back in business! Sorry for leaving it so long without an update, but I had major writer's block for this story. Hopefully I am now in the clear, so updates are resuming!

I have a poll going on my profile as to what should be my next story, and I am leaving it down to you lot entirely: synopses for each potential story are up on my profile, please check them out! So, here's the deal: **the more votes I receive for my poll and the more reviews I receive, the faster I update my stories! **Is it really that hard to go onto my page and click at least one option? I would really appreciate it, as well as comments on each of my ideas.

Okay, rant over. This story starts developing now! Yami and Yugi will enter within the next couple of chapters, so bear with me!

Drum roll please…

* * *

**Chapter 4: Alliance of Villainy**

Kaiba was almost regretting passing up Pegasus' offer of a healing touch with all the aches throughout his body. Almost. If his pride didn't get the better of him in the days to come, then he would surely fulfil his mission. If the fight showed Kaiba one thing, it was that he could achieve whatever his heart was set on, as long as he kept his focus.

And nothing was going to stop him from destroying Crescent.

Mai reappeared with their drinks and sat next to Kaiba. After the fight, she and Tristan had been pestering him for how he copied all of their powers. He had simply shrugged and said "Ask Pegasus" in response. Although displeased with the answer, they had let the subject drop for now.

As she looked at the teen next to her, she winced at all the gouges and distinct bruises forming, but could not help her mind drifting to how she had last seen Joey. He was safe, she knew that, but it had still hurt her more than she would ever admit to see him suffer like that; even if he had deserved it.

"Mai?"

The deep voice of Kaiba disturbed Mai from her thoughts. She turned to him and gave him a soft smile. Kaiba simply had to raise an eyebrow and her defences lowered. "I can't help it."

"Do you want to go see him?"

Mai shook her head slowly. "What good would it do? Then Joey might think that I'm not angry at him: and that could not be farther from the truth."

Kaiba sat back and cast his eyes over his blonde friend. "Which brings me to my next question, why did you not explain things to him?"

Mai sighed deeply before answering. "I didn't think I would be gone as long as I was on my assignment. We were sent into an abandoned warehouse to pursue a villain: turns out it was Displacement. Do you know about him?"

"No, I have never looked into his powers."

"Well, you kind of need to need to know his history as well as his powers. He was taken prisoner during a war and continually tortured. It drove him into a state of madness; which is when his powers unlocked. Since then, he has travelled round the world in a crusade to destroy those who are evil: even though he has lost the ability to distinguish between good and evil itself."

"So he does more harm than good."

"Exactly. His powers are a handful. His first power is quite possibly his most annoying: Astral Projection. He can create carbon copies of himself which are identical in every way except for that they cannot use his powers, that is the only way to tell the difference. He just had to create five goddamn duplicates: giving Devlin and I six to track down in total. I happened to find the real one, and fell right into his trap. His other two powers are both dangerous and rare: Telekinesis and De-Materialisation."

"Telekinesis I know of, but I've never heard of De-Materialisation."

"That would be because it is that rare; only three other people are ever known to have possessed it. What it entails is being able to manipulate atoms of inanimate objects. For instance, this is what happened to me: he removed a section of the concrete floor, dropped me into a cavity and then buried me inside there. He used his telekinesis to hold me down while he trapped me. I will admit it was terrifying."

"It certainly sounds it." Kaiba was pretty strong-willed, but he wasn't sure how he would handle being buried alive. "So where was Devlin during all this?"

"I have no idea, all I know is that I found him with another girl when I finally got out."

"That bastard. Out of curiosity, how did you escape?"

"Put it this way: I'm never going to complain about my claws ever again."

Kaiba nodded and then let the subject drop. He didn't want to push Mai more than she was comfortable with and he knew she wouldn't want to dwell on the memory. "Where has Tea gone?"

Mai was relieved at the change of topic: she didn't want to describe her experience of being trapped underground. "She and Raphael were sent off on another mission as soon while you were cleaning up. I hope they'll be all right. I heard the names Glacier and Inferno mentioned."

Kaiba nodded solemnly; after reading the Raphael's history, he could almost sympathise with the older man. At least for Kaiba his brother was at peace. To be faced with the potential prospect of having to kill his own younger sibling to protect others…Kaiba physically shivered at the thought. _The poor bastard. For once, I'm glad in a way that Mokuba is dead. At least I don't have to worry myself over whether he is doing anything crazy anymore._

_What am I thinking? How is my brother being dead better? At least Raphael has the chance of turning them back and being reunited with them! I would give anything to see Mokuba brought back. I wonder if there is a power to revive the dead…_Kaiba sighed inwardly, knowing the answer. _There will be such an ability, I'm sure of that much: but the price for wielding it must be devastating if I have never heard of it being used in great practice. Maybe I should ask Rebecca, there is no-one else with a greater expanse of knowledge. No surprise seeing as she basically has a hard-drive for a brain. _

"Seto?" Mai's quiet whisper brought Kaiba out of his musings. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just thinking," he answered shortly, not really wanting to dwell on the subject.

Mai smirked as she sat back; she knew just the way to get his mind off the dark thoughts she suspected were lingering. "Thinking about Tea are we?"

Kaiba spluttered as he was taking a sip from his drink. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, seeing as you two have finally admitted your feelings for one another, I simply assumed that you were next going to tackle how to ask her out." Mai's face fell when Kaiba sat back with a sigh: his eyes showing uncertainty. "Are you not going to? Is this not what you wanted?"

"I-" Kaiba cut himself off sharply, unsure of how to answer that question. Yes it was what he had wanted, but it wasn't everything he wanted it to be. It was missing something. He wasn't overcome with the want to kiss her again like he thought he would be. It…just wasn't what he had imagined it would be. "It wasn't all I expected."

Mai's form slumped in disappointment. "She didn't excite you, is that what you are saying?"

"I don't know…I do like Tea but…I thought there would be more emotion evoked in me when I kissed her."

"Did you not feel anything?"

"I definitely felt something, but…"

"It's okay Seto, I understand. Maybe you and Tea need more time."

Kaiba thought for a bit. _More time…would that really solve the problem? Or is the problem in Tea herself. Is she maybe not meant for me? Am I destined for another?_

"Heads up!" Kaiba and Mai both spun around to see Tristan approaching.

"Hey Tris, how's Joey?" asked Mai while trying to sound cheerful, but failing miserably.

"He's fine. His head will bother him for a few days, and true his pride has taken a hell of a beating, but that's not exactly a bad thing, is it?"

"No. God knows if his head had gotten any bigger, we would have been fighting to keep him on the ground!" giggled Mai.

"Who knows how he stayed grounded blowing all that hot air anyway?" added Kaiba with a smirk. Tristan and Mai both laughed. "Where were you? Surely it wouldn't have taken so long just checking up on Wheeler?"

"No…Pegasus held me back." Eyes were firmly fixed upon Tristan in an instant. "Apparently there has been a sudden surge in power across the whole of Domino. He suspects that a massive attack is coming."

"From Glacier and Inferno?" asked Mai nervously.

"No, from all the big guns. Glacier, Inferno, Dimension, Displacement…" Tristan muttered something incomprehensible afterward, which caught Kaiba's attention in an instant.

"That's some serious firepower right there…" Kaiba suddenly stood and started walking away. "Seto, where are you headed?"

"I'm off to see Rebecca. There are a few things I need to clear up," he answered, just sparing the pair a glance. "I'll be back soon." He left without another word.

"Something just riled him," said Mai knowingly.

"He probably realised I left one villain off that list."

Mai spun around to Tristan who had a sad look in his eye. "Who?"

"Crescent, the one who killed his brother. He's back in Domino and I'm sure Seto knows that."

* * *

Rebecca was not expecting the knock on the door of the Control Room, but was pleased with who she saw. "Seto, what can I do for you? How are you feeling after your battle with the bird-brain?"

Kaiba smirked while walking in. "Feel perfectly fine. I take it you were not too displeased with the result then."

"Of course not, Skylark is an arrogant shit who thinks he can order me about despite the fact I am a more senior member. Just because he thinks he has more power than I do doesn't mean I am not someone to be feared and respected."

"Trust Wheeler to associate power with respect."

Rebecca sighed and went to sit back in her chair. "Unfortunately, he took that off Raphael; thank god Tristan didn't because I love him: he's so sweet, despite being a total klutz and quite often idiotic." Kaiba chuckled lowly. "Raphael has always held a view that those with more power deserve more respect. He is smart enough, however, to realise that power comes in more than one form."

"Your intelligence and ability to outthink your opponents earned his respect," surmised Kaiba.

Rebecca nodded. "It happened after only about a month within we began training together. Raphael was certainly powerful and I was anything but. We were pitted against each other by Pegasus in a Circle challenge: each of us had to remain in a circle of 1 metre diameter for as long a period as possible. The use of powers was allowed in any way, including knocking your opponent out of the ring. Raphael knew he was much stronger than me physically, so was confident of a victory. He continually pummelled me with stone blast after stone blast, just waiting for me to fall. I however, was not looking for a victory in the match. I was aiming for a draw since I thought I had no hope of winning. About three hours after we started, I was still going strong and I noticed something else too; Raphael was tiring rapidly. It seemed all his dominance asserting earlier had weakened him, and finally gave me an advantage in the struggle. Fatigue finally sat in for him after 7 hours and I was named the victor when I launched my one and only attack."

Kaiba nodded in approval. "Maybe I should try that tactic one time, it might be interesting to see the results."

"What? Thinking?" teased Rebecca. Kaiba simply raised an eyebrow in disapproval. "I know what you mean, sizing up your opponent before beginning your own attack sequence." Kaiba turned away and started watching the computer screens half-heartedly, his mind clearly somewhere else. Rebecca sat back and sighed inwardly. "What did you really come down here for, Seto?"

Kaiba dragged a finger along the keyboard gently but did not meet Rebecca's gaze. "Rebecca, what can you tell me about abilities involving life and death?"

Rebecca quickly paled a few shades, but it went unnoticed by the teen. Her tone of voice however swiftly alarmed him. "What made you think of such a thing?"

Kaiba turned back but kept his face perfectly neutral. "I was thinking about my brother. Tell me Rebecca, is there anything that can be done?"

Rebecca stood and began to leave the room, puzzling Kaiba greatly. It was only once she was about to pass out of sight did she speak again. "You should ask that of Pegasus, he is waiting for you on the Viewing Deck."

Kaiba could not help but stare on after her departure, mystified by her sudden change in demeanour. _Something about that topic must have struck a nerve with Rebecca. It doesn't matter now, Pegasus was my next destination anyway. The Viewing Deck…I wonder what he is doing up there._

* * *

Pegasus smiled fondly when he recognised the signal approaching from behind as it stepped out of the elevator. "I wondered when you would get here."

"Am I truly that predictable?" asked Kaiba dryly while taking stance next to his mentor.

Pegasus laughed affectionately. "No, but I did leave a rather big hint that I wanted a word with you in a more private location."

"Well I could only think of that being the reason you informed Tristan of a possible mass attack on Domino without discussing it with the city defenders at large."

"Is the view out here not just the most glorious thing?" Kaiba spun around puzzled by the sudden change in conversation. "I always love coming up here to watch a sunset. It's the smaller things in life you begin to treasure when you get to my age. We so rarely get to see such a sight when we spend all of our time in the Guild itself. Coming here just helps to clear the old head a bit after a hard day's work."

"You didn't exactly work as hard as I did. Firstly I have to hide out in my own room to stop myself from being savaged by Wheeler, I then get my ass handed to me on a silver platter by you and I had to finish that dispute with the bird-brain in a very public manner in the Battle Dome where, may I remind you, most people probably would have been killed facing down that lunatic."

"But you defeated him, and in spectacular fashion may I add, coming away with barely any injuries. That is no mean feat my boy. And besides that, it has been a while since I have been struck in such a way as you managed earlier."

"What are you…?" Kaiba thought back to the training session, and recalled the moment in question. He chuckled. "I never fully realised that I landed a clean hit, let alone to your face. Guess I was too busy worrying about that telekinetic grip of yours."

"I would have been too in that situation, but it does not change the fact that you did get one strike through my defences. My confidence backfired there: and it is a long time since overconfidence became an enemy of mine. Your powers are accelerating at a far greater rate than I dared dream. Soon, you will threaten those of influence within the Guild itself."

"I don't care about that and you know it. All I care about is avenging my brother. Which brings me onto my next point…" Pegasus gave Kaiba his full attention, curious. "I asked this of Rebecca, but she swiftly avoided replying, actually leaving the room. Tell me, is there any powers which have control over life and death itself."

Pegasus turned away sadly, which was not missed by Kaiba. The older man released a long breath as he thought back to one of the most tragic sights he had ever seen. "Rebecca did not answer you because she was witness to the horrifying consequences of trying to pass that line between the living and the dead."

"So there is such a power?"

"Yes…though I would personally see to it that such a thing was never used." Kaiba looked at his mentor questioningly. "Tell me Seto, have you ever heard of my old partner in the Guild before I became King?"

"No, I always assumed you fought on your own given your abilities."

Pegasus laughed lightly. "Not quite. For a long time I was overshadowed by my partner; stop giving me that strange look. Yes, until I learned how to copy any physical power upon sight I had to settle for spending hours as witness before I could use it. It was thanks to this man that I learned such a thing.

"We had been out tracking down some dangerous individuals when we were ambushed. Back-up was called for, and given, but it was one of our youngest heroes. The poor boy was only twelve. He died saving my partner's life as well as my own before we could apprehend the villains. Let's just say...Bakura didn't take it well."

"Bakura?"

"Bakura Ryou was my partner back then and had been since I arrived. I was well known for my ability to learn new skills very quickly while he was known for his abilities: both used and forbidden by the previous King. For you see, Bakura did have the power to manipulate life and death, but never dared use it for fear of the consequences; until that day. The guilt of the boy's death sent Bakura over the edge, and he used his powers, much to the horror of all who witnessed it."

Kaiba gulped at seeing the terrified look in Pegasus' eyes. It must have been something truly devastating to have left such an impression on the King. "What did happen?"

Pegasus diverted his gaze back out over the cityscape. "The revived corpse went on a rampage, killing all who were nearby. Having someone with the ability to superheat anything turn murderous was not pleasant, I will tell you that now." He took a few breaths to compose himself, before continuing. "Rebecca found herself in the firing line. She had only been at the Guild as long as you have been now, and as such, could not defend herself. I threw myself between them, and thought I was about to die, when my full power suddenly triggered. It seems that being caught in a life or death situation brought out the best of me, because I found myself able to combat him by forcing his own power back upon himself. It didn't take us too long to figure out this corpse was invincible as well as being demented. The solution: destroy the life given to it by Bakura. A long battle ensued, with it against myself, Bakura and Rebecca: it was just too dangerous for her to try and escape since I could only protect her while she was nearby. Bakura's powers created this disaster, but he refused to use them to reverse the damage, intent on reasoning with the corpse and bringing it back to sense, but it was no good. I could see the boy we knew was long gone, and was replaced by this monster. I copied Bakura's power and put an end to it, though it took a lot of effort."

Kaiba could only stare on in amazement at the tale. "Over fifty heroes were killed because of Bakura's decisions with Rebecca nearly being one of them. Bakura left shortly afterward." Pegasus started a quiet laugh which soon grew in volume, as well as turning darker. "I owe so much to that one event. It was down to that I grew to the powerful being I am now: I became Second of the Guild right after it, and took on Rebecca as my apprentice once Bakura left." Kaiba turned away in thought, but was not left to it for long. "Rebecca has wanted to forget that day since then, but knows she cannot. She has learned to live with it, thought she does not want to be reminded of what happened. I hope you can now understand her reaction."

Kaiba nodded, but his curiosity was now piqued. "Did that all happen due to lack of control on Bakura's part, or is that the price for trying to cheat death?"

Pegasus looked initially horrified by the question, but Kaiba did not see that since his gaze was out across the now dark landscape. Pegasus took his time in answering, afraid of the turn the conversation was taking. "It is my belief that it was a consequence of trying to bring him back. Bakura had been at the Guild many years before then, and had always known how to use his ability." Pegasus stepped up and laid a hand on Kaiba's shoulder, jerking the teen's gaze away from the lights of the city below.

"Your brother is dead, and you cannot change that Seto. I implore you, abandon these thoughts, before they corrupt you."

Kaiba sighed sadly. "I know that, but I need to confirm in my own mind that there is no chance of him ever returning." Pegasus smiled slightly at the teen and pulled away slowly. _Though, I can understand Bakura's reasoning. I would have used that power too, even knowing what could potentially happen. If there were any chance of bringing my brother back, no matter how small, or how dangerous following such a wish would be, I would seize that chance with all my heart. I can only hope to avenge him now…_

"Now, to move onto the real reason I wanted to see you." Kaiba snapped back to reality in an instant, knowing what was coming. "I want you to remain in the Guild for the next while."

"WHAT?" the teen yelled in disgust.

"The power rising up within the city is alarming, and I suspect that evil may be uniting against us. I am fully aware that you know Crescent is back in the city…" Kaiba turned away with a growl while electricity crackled around his clenched fist. "…but until we are sure he is still working alone, I can't risk you falling into a trap."

"It's my life and I choose what to do with it!" snapped the brunette.

"Not when your death will affect the future of the whole Guild it is not!"

Kaiba pulled back sharply, shocked by the bold declaration. "What…what does that mean?"

"It means exactly that. Seto, you have a power beyond anything within you somewhere, and if Crescent were to take that from you, it could be the end of us all. Nothing could then stop him."

"I have another power?"

"Not so much a power, but an ability to focus your powers to an extreme length. If you are to be lost, and it with you, then the days of the Guild will be over. Seto, you are not to leave this place without my permission for the foreseeable future, understand?"

Kaiba sneered in disgust, but upon meeting the intense gaze of his mentor, nodded in acknowledgement. Pegasus smiled earnestly as he began to walk away. "I always enjoy talking with you Seto: you are not afraid to give me a piece of your mind despite the differences between us. I hope your spirit and confidence is one thing that never changes."

The King was about to step into the elevator when Kaiba spoke again. "You said that you feared an alliance was beginning between the villains of Domino, but tell me this: why would they join forces when they are all of similar strength? Would there not be the petty squabbles of what each party would gain in the end?"

Pegasus thought about this deeply, and realised that Kaiba had a point. "So what is your theory behind this then?"

"It sounds to me like someone more powerful would be uniting them. It is the only reason for them all to be working together, given their very different reasons for wanting the end of us."

Pegasus nodded in acknowledgement. "A very valid point Seto, but this is not your concern. I have left a new uniform for you on the table over there, since your old one is in tatters. And remember, you are not to put so much as a toe outside the Guild, are you clear on that?"

"Yeah, I get it. Don't you have somewhere else to be rather than lecturing me?" snapped Kaiba in response. He shot a venomous glare at Pegasus, who simply laughed.

"You'll thank me for this someday, Seto." Pegasus soon disappeared behind the doors of the elevator.

Kaiba shouted his frustration before swiftly electrifying the doors of the elevator. "I am not a 10-year-old brat, Pegasus! Why are you making me a prisoner here when I could be out there helping!" he exclaimed furiously. "What does it matter to you whether I live or die? It's my choice what I do with my life, not yours." Kaiba glanced towards the table, where a new uniform sat waiting for him. "I'll play along for now, but I swear to you, if I even hear a whisper concerning Crescent, I am going after him and no power on this Earth will stop me from killing that bastard."

The teen strode over and traced a critical eye over the new garments. They were very similar to his current attire, but there were minor differences. For one, white was no longer the only colour present as silver flames were added along the sides, arms and ends of the trousers. His cape was now silver with an underside of ice blue; but the biggest change was to his mask. No longer was it a plain white, but a stunning ice blue with dragon wings on the sides. Kaiba could not help but be puzzled by the origins, but he loved it. A final glance at the table revealed a note beneath it all.

_Seto, _

_These are a small reward for your fight earlier, and an apology for the beating this morning. I hope you like them, especially the mask. I am personally very proud of the design: inspired from your wings earlier. Perhaps this reflects my pride in having you as my student._

_I hope to see you adorning these soon._

_Your Mentor And Friend, Pegasus._

Kaiba laughed inwardly, but smiled his appreciation. True he may not exactly consider Pegasus a friend, but he was pretty close. _You continue to surprise me even after all this time Pegasus. _

He turned away and wandered back to the window, staring out over the scenery. _I wonder when I'll get the chance to show all this off. It better be soon, or I think I'll go stir-crazy. _Realisation dawned on Kaiba when he thought back to Tea. _Shit! I forgot to ask Pegasus about her. If she's after Glacier and Inferno, and Pegasus is right about them joining forces with other villains…_

_I just hope she'll come back unscathed._

* * *

The Domino docklands were normally deserted after darkness fell, the fear of being attacked outweighing any value in taking the route past daylight hours. Tonight however, it was playing host to a very special meeting: a meeting between the villains of Domino City.

Two streaks of red and blue landed gracefully either side of a warehouse. They cautiously made their way to the back door, but the red clothed individual held back the other as he was about to enter. "Alister, I still think this is a bad idea," stated the smaller one.

His companion turned to look at him, his red hair catching the light of a nearly lamp and contrasting greatly with his light blue adornments. "Valon, we've been through this. We are going to need some help in taking down the Guild of Heroes and freeing our brother. I am not happy with working with some of these guys either, but we can use them."

"But they won't stop if they see our brother: they will just kill him outright. What good is that to us? Plus, I don't think being allies with some of this lot will stop them trying to kill us. Firstly, think of Displacement. That guy is literally insane and he could flip at any minute! Next, there's Crescent who isn't much more stable mentally, and he might kill us off to try and steal our powers. And last but not least, don't forget about Renaissance."

"I know Valon, I know. We are just going to have to go with it for now. Besides if one of them tries anything, we will be able to outnumber him two-to-one. Come on, the longer we put this off, the worse it will get."

Valon nodded slowly and followed closely behind his brother as they stepped inside. The light were not on within much of the vast expanse of space, but one patch was illuminated brightly, with a few chairs forming as very wonky circle. The two approached warily, sizing up all those present. Valon swiftly stiffened when his eyes met the terrifying counterparts of Crescent. He wrenched his gaze away and cast them around the rest of the room. He soon recognised Displacement, and finally Dimension, but noted one rather large exception to the group. True Swarm and Cretaceous were missing, but those two were small fish and would not be of any large assistance anyway. Not unless they needed a distraction.

Alister stared for a long while at Dimension, whose real name was Marik Ishtar. He and his family had been captured by bandits when he was younger, and had forced to watch them be murdered one-by-one. The despair drove him to unlock his powers and destroy those who had broken his perfect life. His powers were among the rarest in the world, and the deadliest. All entailed him manipulating the boundaries between dimensions in some manner. His first ability was Dimension Fusion, which allowed him to create pockets of warped space. For instance, you could be walking normally when half of you would pass into another dimension which was perhaps toxic to human flesh, so that when you emerged out the other side of the warped area, half your body would be dying a painful death while the rest of you was perfectly fine. Not a very nice way to die if Alister had heard correctly. Next was Dimension Hopping, where he could literally jump into another dimension without any side-effects. A very handy way of escaping a tight situation Alister thought to himself. The final power was a nasty one, and Marik's personal favourite: Dimension Manipulation. In a nutshell, he could cause another dimension to absorb a part of your body if he so wished, a tactic he had implored many times when torturing his victims. One poor soul had been found legless, armless and missing a pair of lungs without so much as a scratch on his body.

Alister shivered visibly. Marik was one he would have to watch.

His eyes next passed onto Displacement, whose name was simply known to be Dartz. His lunacy was commonly known and many took special care around him. He was on a supposed crusade to rid the world of evil-doers after being tortured continuously for years into madness. The one problem with that life moral was that he no longer could tell the difference between good and evil, and thus had turned evil himself, believing that heroes persecuted more innocent people than convicting those who had genuinely committed a crime. His powers were varied and certainly fearsome in some cases. Astral Projection would have been devastating had his clones been able to use his powers too, but that was the one flaw with his power aggressively. Used defensively however, there was almost nothing more effective. Telekinesis was a useful power all round, but nothing compared to De-Materialisation. That power, if used to its full potential, could destroy anything inanimate, or at the very least manipulate its structure. The one blessing for humanity was that it could not be used on human flesh. Had that proved true, then nothing would have been safe from him.

Alister tore his gaze away once again and almost vomited when he was met with the sickening smirk of Crescent.

Crescent, originally known as Zigfried Von Schroeder, was feared amongst most, be the hero or villain since he held no distinction for the divide between both sides, simply choosing his victims at random. His own powers numbered to only one, but that one power had transformed him into a monster. Power Absorption: commonly known as the most terrifying ability of all. Why? Because you could theoretically gain every power in existence within a short time. The one flaw to his power was that not every attempt at drainage was successful. In actual fact over 90% failed, leaving the victim to die a horrifying death for no reason whatsoever. Crescent had shot into the spotlight six months earlier after surviving a meeting with Archaic, but the consequences of that had created a new problem for the villains. They now had a new hero to face off against: Blue-Eyes. His attack on the Kaiba brothers was now famous among the villains, including how he failed to obtain the power he set out for in the first place. The reason behind the attack had entirely been about young Mokuba's dormant power of Atomic Explosion. In other words, cause any atom to explode, be that of a living being, or an inanimate object. Either way, it would have made Crescent unstoppable. Fortunately for the world, the absorption failed, leaving him to seek compensation in trying to take Blue-Eyes' powers to manipulate light and electricity. Hence, his collision with Archaic, and thus the birth of their newest foe.

Alister was beckoned over by his brother who was staring at the ground intently. "Question, why does Crescent have the name he does? It seems a bit random."

Alister held back a chuckled and whispered the answer in Valon's ear. "It's because his bright pink hair is crescent shaped, hence the name. Or at least that's what I've heard."

Valon looked at him disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Well I don't know, but can you think of anything else?"

"No, I guess not. The uniforms are certainly…interesting."

Alister nodded in agreement while scanning over the others once again. Crescent sporting a bright red, which Alister had no objections to since his brother was in red, but the other two were atrocities. Displacement's uniform was a mixture of greens, yellows and browns in a seemingly random pattern while Dimension's was a combination of black, red, purple and blue. It may have actually been deemed tasteful had there been some pattern rather than just what looked like paint splotches on black.

The two were pulled out of their thoughts by a deep voice which sent chills through them.

"Welcome all. I am glad to see you could all make it." All turned to meet the silhouette of the figure emerging from the darkness. The first noticeable feature was his hair, a snow white in colour, great in length and tossed about messily. Next were his midnight blue garments which stood out strongly against the light he had come to stand beneath. Finally, were his eyes. They seemed to be such a dark shade of brown that they almost bordered on black.

Quite frankly, Valon and Alister just felt nervous looking at him.

"Now, on to business," continued the new arrival, but Valon soon interrupted him.

"Excuse me, but you can't just come in here and order us about like a bunch of kids. Firstly, who the hell are you? Secondly, I would like to know why there a few absentees from the known group of villains."

Alister looked on apprehensively, but his tension soon melted away when the new man simply laughed. "I like your attitude kid. I am guessing that you are Inferno, am I correct?" Valon nodded in confirmation. "Well then, I suppose introductions are necessary. My name is Nightwing and I have not long returned to Domino after leaving it several years ago. As for the no-shows, Swarm and Cretaceous have been apprehended by the Guild of Heroes. Satisfied?"

"I wasn't really concerned about the shrimps, I was referring to Renaissance not being here."

Nightwing's eyes darkened drastically. "Renaissance has no place among us," he stated coldly.

"And why might that be? He isn't known as ze world's greatest hero-hunter without good reason, and I've caught a glimpse of him in ze city," added Crescent confidently.

Nightwing rounded toward said individual with a harsh stare. "I take it you are Crescent then? Believe me, I have crossed paths with Renaissance over the past six years, and that puck isn't all he appears to be. Besides, how do you know it was him?"

"Nobody else has such ridiculous hair," declared Crescent, which caused Dimension to laugh heartily.

"You are one to talk pinkie," he jeered, inviting a venomous glare from Crescent. "Just because he has spiked multi-coloured hair doesn't make it ridiculous, it make it distinctive. He is easy enough to identify from a distance due to that. Also, no-one else goes around clad in black and purple leather."

"Very true," added Displacement.

"Enough you lot!" they all fell silent obediently when they caught sight of shadows swarming around Nightwing, as well as feeling the power emanating from him. It was beyond anything they had felt in their lives, and they all knew they could not hope to match it. "Now that you have all settled down, are you willing to join forces to take down the Guild of Heroes? I know you all have different reasons to see its downfall, be that to save family," Nightwing looked towards Alister and Valon, shocking the brothers, "or retribution," he spun to face Dimension, who hated heroes who were willing to stand in his way, "or justice," eyes turned toward Displacement, who sat proudly, "or for simply pleasure." Nightwing's gaze lastly fell upon Crescent, knowing all too well that the monster wanted to feat upon the powers of the heroes. "But…only together will we be able to succeed. Are you all willing to work together?"

No-one made a move, until Alister spoke up. "What do you get out of this?"

Curious eyes turned to Nightwing, who stood smiling. "I seek a prize far greater, but you do not need to know that. All you need to know is that I am willing to go to any lengths to see the Guild destroyed. Now, is there to be an alliance, or not?"

Nightwing stood in the centre of the circle, waiting to welcome those who would join him, and slay those who would not. Dimension was the first to join him. "If it helps me kill the cocky punk who messed with me last month, then I'll gladly launch."

Nightwing nodded. "Out of curiosity, who are you after?"

Dimension snarled. "Gamble. That little piece of crap spoiled my fun with a rather nice catch of mine, and I would like to show him what happens to those who cross me."

"I too will join." Displacement joined them in the centre. "The Guild of Heroes had held a death-grip on this city for too long."

"I might as well help in zis little mission," chirped Crescent, coming to stand next to Displacement. Nightwing took special note when the blue-haired man did not move away in fear.

His gaze then fell to Alister and Valon. "What about you two?"

The two brothers looked at each other before Alister spoke. "You know why we are doing this?" Nightwing nodded. "And you will help us save him?" Another nod. The brothers looked at each other again before large grins broke out on their faces. "Then count us in."

The circle of villains was finally complete. Nightwing smiled contentedly at his handiwork. The first phase of his plan was now well and truly underway.

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW AND VOTE! **

I should be updating this again before the New Year, but no guarantees!

See ya around all!


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